| Sunday, September 07, 2008 |
| Pere Ubu |
It's late in the run of Shotgun Players' "Ubu for President" -- only two performances left! -- but I'm glad Joe & I had the chance to catch it on an unusually warm Saturday. (Usually, seeing a play in the shady grove at John Hinkel Park entails bringing plenty of sweatshirts and blankets.) "Ubu" is a loose adaptation of Alfred Jarry's "Ubu Roi." Jarry's Ubu, based on a schoolteacher he hated, was such an unsympathetic and unpleasant figure that when his play debuted in Paris in 1896, a riot ensued. Ubu is still a pompous blowhard, but the Berkeley crowd responded only with riotous laughter; not even the family with two small kids seemed to mind the constant wink-wink, nudge-nudge cursing. (Ubu's favorite expletive is "Pschit.")
As Ma and Pa Ubu, Carla Pantoja and Dave Garrett look like they've just stepped out of an early John Waters movie. The Ubus live in the kingdom of Fugall, which leads to approximately 485 jokes about "the Fugging people," "your vote means Fugall," etc. etc. Like some of the jokes on "The Simpsons," this is the sort of thing that goes from funny to wearying back to funny, through sheer force of repetition. Anyway, the people of Fugall are demanding that the ruler, King Wenceslas, step down so they can choose their leader in a free election. Wenceslas agrees, but decides too run for president and instantly becomes the front runner (incumbent's advantage, you know). His opponents include the loathesome Ubu, whose clumsy campaign promises include executing everyone in the audience; the king's petulant teenage daughter, Princess Buggerless, who is running because she's mad that her dad forces her to wear the ceremonial "Fugging long skirt" out in public; and best of all, the tailor-made-for-Berkeley Ming Jamal Joaquin Wounded Knee Goldstein, whose platform is all about peace, love and respect for all living creatures. Ming is played by Sung Min Park in a scene-stealing performance; he really commits to the character, even bounding around the bleachers during intermission, earnestly entreating audience members to vote for him. I overheard him agreeing with one woman: "You're right, voting for me is like voting for the universe!"
Somehow, the crazy over-the-topness of "Ubu for President" seems just right in the out of doors. It's a frivolous summer show, but a ridiculously fun one. Plus, it's free! |
posted by 125records @ 8:19 PM  |
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Name: Sue
Home: San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
About Me: Email me: talk at interbridge dot com
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