Marx in Soho

Marx came stomping in through stage left as “Money” by Pink Floyd played, demanding why we must always declare him dead. The answer is simple: by declaring him dead, we declare his ideas dead along with him. Yet “Marx in Soho” clearly shows how Marx’s ideology is very much still alive by relating his work back to the present day. By stating the flaws of today, he clarified just how in need of revolution society is. His many examples of contemporary problems revealed the necessity for something such as communism. Relating his ideas to problems not previously discussed in his work made the concept of communism all the more astounding and necessary. But then he would take moments to discuss his family, reminding his audience of his humanity. He made a joke about how Jesus was not coming back, and instead he did. Yet this is exactly what this performance was. Marx came back to clear his name, and to bring clarity to the people who had the potential to make a change. The way he weaved his personal story in with his explanation of communism was meant to constantly remind the viewers of his humanity; Marx may have been ahead of everyone else in his ideas but he was still a flawed human being. The actor, Bob Weick, made himself vulnerable, which in turn made his argument even more tangible. His critique on today’s capitalist society was spot on, and how he demonstrated that Walmart and its treatment of its workers was not dissimilar to the factories in London during his time really put into perspective how little the world has changed. The performance in and of itself was profound, and because the message was so precise, Marx’s ideas are going to be given much more consideration.