In 1969, an Italian, anarchist railway worker fell to his death from the window of a police station. He was suspected of planting a bomb in a railway station in Rome; later he was found to be innocent. In response to this event, the leftist Italian playwright, Dario Fo wrote Accidental Death of an Anarchist. A striking satire on police corruption in Italy, and throughout the world; Accidental Death makes use of the unconventional "Brechtian theater" style, and the manipulation of language to allow the viewer to make their own conclusions from the play. The main character in the play is the Maniac, a brilliant actor and impersonator, he has been arrested 16 times, but never convicted, as he is believed to be mentally unsound and has been through various asylums. In the beginning of the play, the Maniac cunningly penetrates the police station, pretending to be a variety of characters and manages convince the police to reopen the case. From there, on the pretext of being a judge from the "high court" he exposes all the police's falsified evidence and records, while doing this, the Maniac pokes fun in a satirical manner at politicians, the police, press, and legal system. This play is particularly effective at conveying Fo's thinly hidden leftist message. Through his use of a montage of ideas, language, dialogue, Fo blends together a very stunning theatrical experience, and encourages the reader, or ideally the viewer to take more of an interactive role in the story, and ultimately draw their own conclusions from the work.
Critical to understanding this play, is understanding Fo's departure from conventional theatrical methods. Accidental Death is a play largely based on dialogue, meaning that the essence of what the author is trying to convey is found in the lines of text, rather than in the play's action. Fo achieved this through a style of theater called the "Brechtian Epic.
