Theatre Announces Original Take on Absurdist Classic

Pointless Theatre is proud to announce our take on one of the iconic works of the early avant-garde: King Ubu, opening December 11 in the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint. A new translation of Alfred Jarry's seminal 1896 Ubu Roi, the show is a hilarious take on the classical tragedy featuring puppet violence, live music, and Pointless' signature sense of spectacle.

Ubu Roi, which premiered in Paris 120 years ago, famously ran for exactly two performances before closing within a whirlwind of scandal over the play's nonsense language and scatological humor. Since that time, it has been acknowledged as a precursor to European avant-garde movements like DADA, surrealism, and absurdism. The play tells the story of Pa and Ma Ubu, a married pair of childish, violent idiots who scheme to steal the throne of Poland by murdering the king. They find themselves opposed by the king's son, who flees the country during the coup only to return for vengeance with a foreign army at his back. Audiences may find themselves thinking of Macbeth, had that play been written by a pack of deranged kids.

King Ubu offers a new spin on Jarry's original funhouse take on classical tragedy with the aid of an unusual translator - Google Translate. Helen Hayes award-winning costume designer Frank Labovitz makes his DC directing debut, leading a talented cast of Pointless company members and new faces through 100 minutes of absurd dialogue and enough physical comedy that the stage needs a padded floor. Puppet designers Patti Kalil and Rachel Menyuk enable the ludicrous violence of Jarry's script with dozens of puppets elegantly designed to be brutally murdered, while the rest of the design team turn the Mead Theatre Lab into the chaotic royal playground King Ubu demands.
A wickedly funny and obscene send-up of politics, morality, war, and classical tragedy, King Ubu is not to be missed.

Pointless Theatre is the 2014 recipient of the John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company, given by the Helen Hayes Awards and theatreWashington, and two time winner of the Best Small Theater Company in DC as awarded by the Washington City Paper. King Ubu begins previews on December 8, 2016 and opens December 11, running through January 7.
The first preview (Dec 8) is a Pay-What-You-Can performance, with all other preview tickets just $15.

Tickets for the rest of the run start at $18 for students, seniors, military personnel, teachers, and those on unemployment and $30 for general admission.

To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit www.pointlesstheatre.com.

Members of the media, who would like to attend any Pointless production, interview the artistic leadership, or feature Pointless in your publication should contact Scott Whalen, Director of Public Relations, at scott@pointlesstheatre.com. POINTLESS THEATRE CO. is dedicated to creating bold, visceral, and affordable spectacles that gleefully smash the traditional boundaries between puppetry, theatre, dance, music, and the visual arts. Through our work we excite a passion for adventurous art in the nation's capital and nurture a diverse, active, and inspired audience.

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