King Ubu

At the website of Trøndelag Theatre the following, among other things, is written about King Ubu:

"We are very happy to have Tomi Janežič and his team back at Trøndelag Theatre. Janežič has been called one of his generation's most interesting European directors, and in 2016, he had much success with the production Doppler at our main stage.

In Janežič's staging of King Ubu, Trondheim's local citizens will be invited into the arena - from brass bands to bodybuilders. Ubu invades Trondheim. He is a grotesque caricature, an over-dimensioned creation of the imagination, wanting dictatorship over town. He murders the king, takes over the throne and bathes in power and riches. His despotic leadership, in which he executes and imprisons people in masses, becomes a madcap satire over narrowmindedness and greed for power.

King Ubu (1896) was written by the French playwright Alfred Jarry. The world premiere at Théâtre de l'Oeuvre in Paris became a grand scandal, as Jarry had hoped. With its vulgar content and utter lack of respect for the norms of the time, the play marked a revolution in drama history. It turned over bourgeoise conventions in a rebellious game with theatrical effects. The character Ubu is said to be modelled after Jarry's much despised physics teacher during his student days in Rennes, whereas caricatures of Ubu can be likened to the French king Louis-Philippe. Ubu is in every way a terrorist and a tyrant who stops at nothing to gain power and rule. This way, King Ubu gives us an ironic glance at historical as well as contemporary rulers."

SOURCES:

Press release from Trøndelag Theatre, 06.11.2017, http://trondelag-teater.no/pressemeldinger/repertoaret-2018-pa-trondelag-teater/

Trøndelag Theatre, trondelag-teater.no, 14.11.17, http://trondelag-teater.no/forestillinger/kong-ubu/

• Ut Awards 2018 - Årets teaterforestilling