EDINBURGH 2016: BWW Q&A - Ubu On The Table

BWW speaks to Francis Monty, Artistic Co-director of Théâtre de la Pire Espèce and Co-author of Ubu On The Table ahead of their run at the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

What can you tell us about Ubu On The Table?

Ubu On The Table is an adaptation in object theatre (kind of puppet theatre with daily life objects) of Ubu roi, a farcical parody by Alfred Jarry. With themes such as abuse of power, absurdity and cruelty, the play displays a clownish yet disturbingly true version of dictatorship. Père Ubu, a stupid and selfish bourgeois, stops at nothing for his rise to power and his personal well being, even if it means he will be the only one left alive.

In this performance, bloody tomato wars, finger-sword fights, toilet paper imprisonment, anything goes as Poland's fate is sealed on a tabletop! Together with the Bottle as Père Ubu, the Mini-Mop as his wife Mère Ubu, the Big Teapot as King Wenceslas, the Hammer as Captain Bordure and many other bizarre kitchen utensils that double as gorging tools and weapons to annihilate the "sagouins", two talented actor-puppeteers hammer out this small-scale fresco of grandiose buffoonery.

Why did you decide to bring Ubu On The Table to Edinburgh?

Meeting with Scottish artists and puppeteers throughout our tours and sharing with them the same witty sense of humour first encouraged us to present Ubu on the Table in Edinburgh. As Canadians, we also realized that we toured the show (originally created in French) more often in Spanish than in English, although the latter is our second language! Presenting the show on a worldwide platform like the Edinburgh Fringe is the opportunity to "make things right". With more than 800 performances around the world, we were only waiting to step into the Fringe challenge!

How has audience response been so far?

Very good considering the number of tours we've done already! Some people even told us their cheeks began to hurt from laughing too hard. And if we have teenagers in the room, the performance usually turns into a rock show!

Who would you recommend Ubu on the Table to?

Anyone who's into a clever critique of our society while in a messy, exuberant and hilarious setting with flying forks, tomato bombs, and belligerent utensils, will be in the right place.

Is there anything else you're looking forward to seeing in Edinburgh?

Meet Fred from Hijinx in association with Blind Summit Theatre is definitively something we are looking forward to seeing. We already know the talented puppeteers of Blind Summit Theatre and we are eager to discover those of Hijinx.

By the way their show is also in Summerhall. If you're into puppetry, you could kill two birds with one stone and come see both shows!

Timings and ticket information for Ubu On The Table are available on the edfringe website.