George W. Bush ou le Triste Cow-Boy de Dieu ("George W. Bush, or God's Sad Cowboy") an improvised satire by director Attilio Maggiuli, is back on stage at his Comedie italienne in Paris: No thanks to two unknown thugs who beat him into unconsciousness Sunday morning, May 4, 2003, four days after the opening. Thanks, however, to moral support as well as the appearance and promise of protection by such artists as Ariane Mnouchkine and Jean-Jacques Beineix, Maggilui reversed his decision to shelve the production. <BR>Afraid for the safety of his performers and staff, he had announced reopening a Goldini play from the company repertoire. But Mnouchkine and others convinced him that freedom of expression must be defended. Members of her Theatre du Soleil troupe guarded the little theater on the rue de la Gaite (advertised as the "street of theaters") when "God's Sad Cow-Boy" reappeared.
<P>Le Monde critic Fabienne Darge described the play as a farce combining "<I>commedia dell' arte</I> and Italian political theater of the 1970s, as exemplified most notably by Dario Fo." In devilish attire, Bush appears as "a perfect cretin, manipulated by Almighty Dollar." After September 11, he is presented, often in his own words, as confusing "eradicating terrorism" with "terrorizing radicals" or anyone who disagreed with him. Tony Blair is a another prime satirical target, as is Silvio Berlusconi. Critic Darge praised the actors, especially as imitators of speech and facial expressions. As a whole, reviews have been mixed. <P>The men who beat Maggiuli accused him of being a protector of Arabs and a pawn of Chirac, since <I>George W. Bush ou le Triste Cow-Boy de Dieu</I> clearly argues strongly against the Iraq War and the "pax America."
