UBUs

Ubu, who is manipulated by his ambitious wife, kills the king of Poland. Then he begins to reign with a striking brutality and increases his fortune with a barbaric greed as he gets himself rid of nobles, magistrates and bankers. In response to today’s ubu-like, seemingly invincible capitalist madness, Axel de Booseré, Maggy Jacot and Petr Forman have created a biting and hilarious play which has a deep link with current events. With its Belgian-Czech casting, this work is based on two complementary pillars: on the one hand, Ubu Roi written by Alfred Jarry and on the other hand, three short plays written by Jean-Marie Piemme which develop the image of a grotesque tyrant inspired by Berlusconi, Madoff or even a subprime-selling banker. Père Ubu is without a doubt the eulogist of unscrupulous enrichment, of the repeated exactions, of the constant lies and manipulations, of impunity, of cronyism and corruption. But can he get the prize for being the most outrageous person on Earth with all these cynical economical and political leaders around? I wouldn’t bet on it.