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Ubu the King, C Venues, review

August 4, 2019

Misanthrope Theatre’s adaptation of Ubu the King contains a series of visually effective moments – but the plot is challenging to keep up with, and the performers appear so fixated with pronunciation that the power of the drama, and humour of the comedy, is lost.

As with Macbeth, Ubu the King follows a power-hungry wife who convinces her husband to kill the monarch – a decision that soon causes many more deaths than she planned. However, the succession of murderous characters continues beyond Ubu and it’s hard to keep up with who is who. Much resemblance of a plot is soon lost, and we’re left with a very loud performance that we cannot follow well enough and with little more than visuals which, although sometimes effective, cannot carry the show by themselves.

It has to be said that King Ubu – as written by Alfred Jarry in 1896 – is a parody of old (primarily Elizabethan) theatre, and the plot itself doesn’t take its characters or itself seriously. But the problem with this Ukrainian adaptation by Misanthrope Theatre is largely the utilisation of the English language during the performance. While accents are more than welcome across theatre stages, it seems important that performers feel comfortable and confident in the language they’re using. On more than one occasion, it seemed like the Ubu the King actors were concentrating so much on the text spoken and related pronunciation that the flow (and the ‘drama’) were unfortunately sidelined. This is a shame because their English is fully understandable – even with the odd mistake or two – and the only really problematic aspect regarding the language, which largely takes away from the viewing pleasure, is their lack of confidence in it. 

Nevertheless, Misanthrope’s piece contains some very effective visual moments – including the very beginning, when the Papa Ubu and Mama Ubu discuss taking over the power. The bathroom setting (as indicated by the bathtub), one of the most mundane places, makes for a great contrast with the dangerous conversation of murderous intentions. Moreover, a bit later in the show, the scene including executions of the nobility is done with a good dose of humour and can easily be considered the piece’s highlight.

Unfortunately, Ubu the King‘s highlights do not make up for the issues around its decipherability – but do demonstrate the possibilities that remain open for the group.

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Edinburgh  / Edinburgh Performance  / Edinburgh Plays

Žad Novak
Žad Novak is currently studying Comparative Literature and German at the University of Glasgow, with Theatre Studies as her additional subject. When not at university, she volunteers/works as an assistant (to the) director in professional theatres in Zagreb, Glasgow and Berlin. Her passion lies in brining theatre, literature and film from non-English-speaking countries into the spotlight, believing that exposing people to artworks from other places helps battle inequality and xenophobia. She is one of the founders of Glasgow International Student Theatre, a theatre society at University of Glasgow aiming to stage translated plays from around the world. Nevertheless, none of this is to say that she cannot enjoy a good production of Shakespeare. She is deeply, deeply grateful to all the amazing baristas across Edinburgh, the unsung heroes that make her Fringe-Binge possible! When she is not involved in making theatre, she loves to talk about past productions, and complains about missing ‘the theatre life’. Recently, she has found relief in writing reviews. Her family and friends are grateful.

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