Le Coeur a gaz (1923, Tristan Tzara)

the play was three short acts, &

the last spectacle on the program was a

complete Dada farce,

with a trumpet blaring inanely, mangling the Marseillaise

in front of an infuriated audience.

this time around, there were no professional actors

to storm out singing about the utter pointlessness

of pretending to be body parts while wearing cubist costumes

made of stiff tubing,

which reduced their walking to a geriatric shuffle on stage.

outside on the street, the police heard the angry voices and stormed inside,

where fist fights between Dadaists and the future Surrealists

had begun in earnest,

with several already badly beaten and in no mood to be mollified.

shouts for order bounced off walls, hitting no one.

but damage to the small theater was considerable:

seats were smashed and faces bloodied.

Louis Aragon tried to rescue Eluard while the police arrested

the entire audience!

but later,

they concluded it was all a big misunderstanding.