“Power” Play

All this talk in the news about government intervention in business got me thinking: why, in our free market economy, do we pretty much only have one choice for electricity? Arthur Arent’s ‘Power’ asks this question — and answers it too. ‘Power’ premiered in New York in 1937 and was one of the Federal Theatre Project’s Living Newspapers. These plays were retrospectives on contemporary issues, telling their tales by weaving together voices yanked from the headlines from more than 60 years ago.

The show, which ran for 140 performances in the 1930’s but hadn’t been revived since, has been taken on by the Metropolitan Playhouse in New York City. And the issues it raises are still shockingly relevant. The play’s detailed explanation of the structure of holding companies using a collection of large boxes was especially entertaining and enlightening.

‘Power’ runs at the Metropolitan Playhouse (220 East 4th Street) until April 12th.