The NIU School of Theatre and Dance will put on “A Man’s a Man,” an anti-war comedic musical drama that follows an ordinary man as he travels the path to moral corruption.

-The man, a waterfront porter, got tricked into the British army and became a killing machine, but don’t think this show is completely depressing.

The satirical show contains a lot of slapstick humor and funny songs, said Dan Bakken, a junior acting major who will perform in the show.

Bertolt Brecht, a German communist, wrote “A Man’s a Man” in the 1920s. Brecht believed in alienation of the audience, meaning he wanted the audience members to know they were watching a show and to interact with the performers.

Surreal elements permeate the performance. In the beginning, the audience will be told it is watching a benefit show for the British army, and it will be encouraged to enlist.

Richard Poole, the show’s director and assistant theater professor, has wanted to put on “A Man’s a Man” for several years, Bakken said.

Matthew Wehner, also a junior acting major who will perform in the show, said the play is a commentary on war and white imperialism.

At one point, the actors will sing about the “white man’s burden,” which is how white men have to civilize everyone else.

The set is made of sheet metal and contains a heavily booby-trapped pagoda. The show also will feature pyrotechnics, which will be used during a war that takes place during Act 2.

However, the emphasis will not be on the spectacle, but on the message. Wehner thinks the story takes on a special meaning as the United States is on the brink of war.

David Booth, marketing director for the School of Theatre and Dance, agrees.

“I see this play as an ideal opportunity to initiate conversation about war,” he said. “This won’t be the typical presentation of war that we see on TV and in films – not the slash and burn, blood and guts type of play. ‘A Man’s a Man’ really shows the ridiculousness of war.”