King Ubu (König Ubu)

Fat and cowardly Father Ubu is instigated by his power-obsessed wife Mother Ubu to commit regicide. He treacherously massacres the entire royal family and usurps the Polish crown. Once on the throne, Father Ubu blatantly pursues his own goals of wealth and power. All noblemen are executed in the "debraining machine", their possessions are confiscated and the judges are dismissed – from then on, Father Ubu is personally in charge of justice. The financial system is reformed by introducing exorbitant taxes. The people do not allow these effronteries to carry on for long. Led by the rightful heir to the throne, the king’s only surviving son, an uprising is staged. Then even the Russian Tsar intervenes in the conflict and a bloody war ensues. Alfred Jarry's absurdly comic play about low instincts, greed and abuse of power sparked a huge scandal at its premiere in 1896 and is considered today the most important precursor of modern theatre. Ubu Rex is the prototype of the philistine egomaniac and impertinent tyrant ­­­– the kind whose influence cannot be ignored throughout history and which still has an impact today.

An adaption by András Dömötör and Meike Schmitz