The Dark Room, The New Diorama, review Transposing Bertolt Brecht's story of the rise of Hitler and his minions to a secondary school may, at first glance, seem a little extreme. But a school, as anyone who's been bullied will testify, can be filled with ruthless, manipulative people and is therefore the perfect setting for this story of one person's strategic, methodical and terrifyingly fast climb to power. Brecht's original 1941 play The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is set in 1930s Chicago with Hitler as the head of the mob - Arturo Ui - running riot with his gang over the city. In David Byrne's adaptation, the lead is Ruth (Madeleine MacMahon) - the sidelined new girl, who through bullying, bribing and control of the student newspaper, works out how best to keep her peers in check and gain their respect. This production successfully channels the themes and ideas in Brecht's original play - mainly that we must all be wary of sitting around and watching as one power-hungry individual takes over. One by one the characters - head boy, class bruiser, school newspaper editor, teacher - are used and then chucked aside by Ruth, who talks out to the audience as she goes - making us complicit as she tears down the existing school hierarchies. Having been busy as the New Diorama's artistic director for the last two years, Byrne directs his theatre company Pit in their first show since 2009 and it's a simple but well formed production. He has a few well-employed techniques to bring the production into the 21st century: Ruth pauses, plays and rewinds the action with a click of her hand, as if we were in a computer game, and there's an inventive use of classroom chalk boards on wheels. The cast of six are a strong ensemble, who maintain a quick pace and upbeat humour. At an hour, it's the perfect show for attention-lacking teens and one that would do well on a schools circuit - especially in the way it gets the audience thinking about bullies. But don't let that put you off - it's just as enjoyable for those of us who haven't seen the school gates for a long time.