Ubu Roi

The Pretention Co. (misspelling oh so intentional) presents its inaugural production – Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi. In its tongue in cheek nature, the newly formed company offers up what many consider the inspiration for absurdism, dada and surrealism, but what is in all actuality, simply a joke. The play was created by Jarry and his schoolmates during the late 1800s as a prank centered around their physics teacher whom they considered an absolute buffoon. The story is a simple one – Ubu the play’s anti-protagonist is coerced by his wife to kill the king of Poland (unflinchingly lifted from the Scottish play). Along the way Ubu manages to destroy the political regime, steal all he can, kill anyone who opposes him and of course, gets away with it all. Hmmm… The company offers a fresh perspective on the old story as they perform the play as it was originally produced – as children.