Sławomir Shuta's 'Down in the Dumps,' directed by Emilia Sadowska and performed in the "Polski" Theater in Poznań falls victim to precisely what it portrays: the levelling effect of Poland's newly won freedom. Insofar as it gives us a picture of Nietzsche's "Last Men" as they appear in modern Polish life, it succeeds. Insofar as it does not overcome them it appears to fail.

It was Luther who noted that the Devil feared only one thing; namely satire. And in a sense, 'Down in the Dumps,' if it can be said to make any attempt to combat the depressing and levelling tendencies of the modern liberal democratic regime, does so by satirizing the experience. But satire, if it is to be ennobling, must reveal what is natural in contradistinction to what is conventional. Ancient Roman comedies, for instance, reminded the citizenry of the nature of nobility by portraying foolish Masters and intelligent slaves. Such satirization serves notice to the concept that the nobility of the Master does not flow so much from his title, but from the wisdom and virtue that the title holder must aspire towards. 'Down in the Dumps' seems to fail to meet this standard of satire, as the satire it presents is not so much a comical view of modern liberal democracy as it is a democratic acknowledgment that everything is silly and to be treated with little regard. Rather than satirizin