Alfred Jarry’s notorious riot-provoking early absurdist lampoon,Ubu Roi, presents an arch-acquisitor who ingests all he can lay his hands on, egged on by his equally voracious and bloodthirsty wife.
The ideafor this production was to frame Jarry’s play in a contemporary context by interspersing mundane “café” conversations between people from the world of business or politics, all of which explore the themes of power and greed which are central to Ubu roi. Yet another layer is provided, at strategic points, by four extracts from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Julius Caesar and Hamlet, underlining Jarry’s implicit references to these plays. Cartoon graphics and raw music and sound effects from our musicians launched this extravaganza into the Norfolk night.
Père Ubu 1 – Chris Rose
Père Ubu 2 – Roger Baines
Père Ubu 3 – Tom Monument
Mère Ubu 1 – Margot Terrini
Mère Ubu 2 – Dani Limon
Mère Ubu 3 – Claudine Tourniaire
Capitaine Bordure – Tim Tracey
Le RoiVenceslas – Ralph Yarrow
La Reine Rosemonde – Coralie Bastiaens
Bougrelas – Ilona Brintio
L’empereur Alexis – Sarah Niahoua
L’ombre – Claudine Tourniaire
Soldats d’Ubu – Chris Rose, Qian Ma
Soldats de Bordure – Penny Newman, Hannah Fitch
Paysans – Penny Newman, Hannah Fitch
Le greffier – Sarah Niahoua
Le commandant – Sarah Niahoua
Framing scenes – Roger Baines, Claire Cuminatto, Dani Limon, Tom Monument, Chris Rose, Margot Terrini, Claudine Tourniaire
Shakespeare scenes – Claire Cuminatto, Dani Limon, Tom Monument, Claudine Tourniaire
Director - Ralph Yarrow