28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 15-21, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com ON STAGE Americans are wrongly afraid of Karl Marx (1818-1883), who was just “a normal human being, tormented by boils on his backside,” says F. Howard Burnham, a producing member and “a tiny cog in a big wheel” of Monterey County Theatre Alliance. His upcoming performance is a oneman online show about the father of communism, who “historically is terribly important,” Burnham says. “Marx was the most important philosopher of the 19th century, for better or for worse—probably for worse.” Because of those boils, Marx wrote Das Kapital at “a very peculiar angle,” as noticed in the British Museum’s reading room. “Some other scholars thought he was a lunatic because he was on his feet all the time,” says Burnham, who himself is an Englishman (of Californian roots) and has a degree in history. Therefore he is “99-percent accurate” when recreating the years 1844-48, which were for Marx the years of London exile. “Nineteenth-century England was a refuge for progressive liberals,” Burnham says. He attributes Marx’s boils to his supposedly unhealthy diet, plenty of wine and spirits and “cheap cigars that eventually killed him.” Connecting all performing theatrical groups and theater people from all over the county, Monterey County Theatre Alliance is in its 50s and on a mission to promote theatrical performances in the area. During Covid, it found refuge online. Burnham’s one-man presentation remains a staple on MCTA’s menu, sometimes happening twice a month. “I have maybe a hundred of them now, I can churn them quickly,” he says. The performance takes place on Zoom and Burnham enjoys a following of “the usuals,” up to 40 people each time. This time, in just 40 minutes, one can learn everything they need to know about Marx and the origins of his two most important works, Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto. Burnham has been writing one-man presentations since the 1970s when he worked as an educator in a private school in England. He calls the whole series “History with Humor: Literary and Historical Characters.” Previous editions were devoted to Thomas Paine, an Englishman who helped to stir the American Revolution, and Thomas Babbage, the father of computers. Damn these boils…Karl Marx, 1883 5:30pm Saturday, June 17; a Q&A follows the show. Online. Free, registration required. theatremonterey.org. DANIEL DREIFUSS Zoom History The Monterey County Theatre Alliance uses Zoom as a stage for history with humor. By Agata Pop˛eda F. Howard Burnham is a theater performer known for embodying eccentric, typically foreign characters for local theater purposes. Above, as German philosopher Karl Marx. K-SQUID - Many Voices - ONE STATION Now for ALL of Monterey Bay Tune into news programs, a wide variety of music shows — and — timely discussions of vital local issues! Broadcast at 89.7 FM Stream at KSQD.org Listener Supported Community Radio Program Schedule at www.ksqd.org 90.7 89.7 89.5 Prevention, Education, Treatment & Recovery serving youth, adults and families in Monterey County Underage cannabis use might have permanent effects on the developing brain when use begins in adolescence, especially with regular or heavy use. Support youth prevention services www.SunStreetCenters.org
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