Review: Absurdist Drama UBU ROI Earns Big Laughs at the Timms Centre for the Arts' Studio Theatre

When Ubu Roi was first performed in 1896, it reportedly offended everyone who saw it. The Parisian audience was so insulted by the play's farcical plot and crass dialogue that a riot ensued after the curtain fell. Though its infamous first performance was also its last, Ubu Roi later earned a place in the canon of absurdist theatre. The University of Alberta's Timms Centre for the Arts presents the nonsensical Macbeth parody, featuring the talents of some of the school's acting students along with two seasoned theatre performers.

In his insatiable hunger for power, Père Ubu (Dave Horak) murders King Vencelas of Poland (Christian Krushel), embarks on a relentless reign of terror, and throws his country headfirst into a brutal war with Russia. When he's not busy throwing nobles into torture chambers or tearing into questionable game meat, Ubu maintains his precarious relationship with his wife and co-conspirator, Mère Ubu (Lora Brovold). Both Horak and Brovold give their harebrained characters 110% percent, their outlandish characterizations and delivery often leaving the audience in stitches. They lead a small and excellent cast of up-and-coming talent, who also all appear to have the time of their lives onstage. Katie Yoner is bombastic as the Ubus' friend and henchman, Capitaine Brodure, while Christian Krushel doubles as the doomed King Vencelas and comically soft-spoken Emperor Alexis. Other notable performances include Karen Gomez as the king's dramatically despondent widow, Queen Rosemonde, and Aaron Refugio as Père Ubu's downtrodden but determined horse.

Throughout the offbeat production, the audience is transported to countless different locations alongside the characters. From the Ubus' bathroom to the Polish court to a snowed-in cave in Lithuania, the unpredictable plot is a rollercoaster ride complete with wailing ghosts, flying stuffed animals, and royal regalia made of plastic packaging. Accompanying the chaotic narrative are creative and colourful projections ranging from video game screenshots to frenzied whirls of colour. Though the show's pace lags during the final 30 minutes, the talents of the cast, crew, and director, David Woroner, ultimately result in an entertaining interpretation of the once-maligned farce.

Ubu Roi plays at the Timms Centre for the Arts until December 10.

Photo from the Timms Centre for the Arts U of A Drama Digs Deeper page