Ubu Roi
Ubu Roi (Ubu the King or King Ubu) is a play by French writer Alfred Jarry (1873-1907) [1]. It was first performed in Paris at the Théâtre de l’Œuvre, causing a riotous response in the audience as it opened and closed on December 10, 1896.
Contents
The original text
Translations and adaptations
Over the years the play has been adapted and translated into many different languages [2].
Adapted and translated into English by Ben Dehaeck under the title King Ubu in 1985.
Translated for PACT by Leon Cloete under the title Koning Ubu in 1991.
Translated by (**) into Afrikaans as Koning Oeboe.
Performance history in South Africa
1967: Staged in the Little Theatre, directed by Peter Kleinschmidt, stage manager Mavis Lilenstein.
1983: Presented in Afrikaans (Koning Oeboe) by the Potchefstroom University at the National Arts Festival Student Drama. It was directed by Leon Cloete, with Christine Hoffman as stage manager. The cast: Hannes Muller, Janine Pretorius, Dion Maas, Pieter Labuschagne, Linda van Vuuren, Karen Meiring, Henry van der Hoven, Erika Willemse, De Waal Nel.
1985: King Ubu, the Dehaeck English adaptation, was staged by the Brueghel Theatre Group, directed by Ben Dehaeck, with
1987: Presented by CAPAB Drama at the Nico Malan Arena, directed and designed by Christopher Weare, assisted by Diane Wilson. Lighting by Malcolm Hurrell. Members of the cast were David Dennis, Marion Holm, Mark Graham, Claire Berlein, Antoinette Butler, Fiona Coyne, Susan Dall, Vinette Ebrahim or Lesley Rochat, Willie Fritz, Mark Hoeben, André Roothman, Itumeleng Wa Lehulere.
1991: Dieter Reible directed Koning Ubu (as translated by Leon Cloete) for PACT at the Momentum Theatre Pretoria and the Adcock-Ingram Theatre, Windybrow, Johannesburg, 1991, with Antoinette Kellermann as Ma Ubu, Hannes Muller as Pa Ubu, also starring Patrick Ndlovu, Bill Curry, Nomsa Nene, Gustav Geldenhuys in various roles. Design and lighting by James MacNamara.
Sources
Wikipedia [3]
National Arts Festival programme, 1983.
Ubu Roi theatre programme, 1987.
Koning Ubu theatre programme, 1991
PACT Info, (2), 1992.
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