A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Ubu Rex (Copelin)

Full-Length Play, Satire/Political Satire  /  2w, 14m, 4boy(s)

David Copelin, Alfred Jarry

By Alfred Jarry
New English translation by David Copelin

NOTICE: Please be advised, this title is from the Samuel French Vault and is made from a scan of an archived manuscript. We hope you’ll treasure this glimpse into theatre history.

Ubu Rex (Copelin)

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 14m, 4boy(s)
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Farce, Adaptations (Literature), Period, Parody / Spoof
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

Ubu Rex, David Copelin's translation of the world's first absurdist play, Alfred Jarry's Ubu Roi, unmasks the savagery just below the surface of "normal" human behavior. The play's premiere in Paris in 1896 caused a riot. Set in "Poland – that is to say, nowhere", the play satirizes governments, philosophies, Shakespeare, and the greed and vanity of ordinary human beings. It is also very funny.

History

1980, Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut

Keywords
Performing Groups

PA UBU
MA UBU
CAPTAIN SEXCREMENT
KING WENCESLAS
QUEEN ROSAMUND
Their Sons: BOLESLAS, LADISLAS, BUGGERLAS
GENERAL LASKI
STANISLAS LECZINSKI
JAN SOBIESKI
NICHOLAS RENSKY
CZAR ALEXIS
Frigadiers: PILE, COOTIE, CROTCH
CONSPIRATORS & SOLDIERS
PEOPLE
MICHAEL FEDEROVITCH
NOBLES
MAGISTRATES
COUNSELLORS
FINANCIERS
TAX COLLECTORS
PEASANTS
THE WHOLE RUSSIAN ARMY
THE WHOLE POLISH ARMY
MA UBU'S GUARDS
A CAPTAIN
THE BEAR
THE PHYNANCIAL HORSE
THE DISEMBRAINING MACHINE
THE SHIP'S MASTER
THE SHIP'S CREW

Casting can be extremely imaginative. Whether your acting pool is large or small, the play can accommodate inventive ways to expand or contract the company.

  • Time Period Present Day, The Future, 19th Century
  • Features Elaborate / High Volume Costumes, Fantasy Costumes, Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Physical Comedy, Play w/ Music, Puppetry, Stage Combat, Special Effects, Drag Performance
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

"Ubu Rex is the best Polish joke in world drama since Hamlet. David Copelin's translation, in gritty Northamericanese, is my favorite." - Michael Feingold, The Village Voice

"After us, the savage God." -- William Butler Yeats, at the play's premiere in 1896

"David Copelin's tough, vernacular translation gives the play contemporaneity and bite." -- Malcolm Johnson, The Hartford Courant

"The translation by David Copelin is fresh and uninhibited." -- Allan Lewis, The New Haven Register

 

 

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Author

David Copelin

Author

Alfred Jarry

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