Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry is a classic play told many times on the stage and in various other forms. La Pire Espèce are a Montreal based theatre company and with Ubu On The Table they have decided to re-imagine the tale of King Ubu as being told through household objects. Bottles, hammers, spoons, knifes and various other everyday objects bring the story to life. These items convey the surreal nature of the story and obviously add to the comedy.
Big band jazz is playing over the speakers as the audience enter the theatre space, but this is the only indication that we are going to witness anything on a grand scale during the show. Ubu On The Table is very much a performance on a minuscule scale. The show begins with the two puppeteers stood behind the table. They go to great lengths to introduce themselves and give a potted history of the production and a background to the show. Eventually the performance begins and the clowning and object manipulation takes over.
This performance of Ubu on the Table is an English translation from the original French version. Some of the verbal jokes feel a little flat and don’t quite grab the audience. This could be down to the translation or possibly that the jokes just aren’t that funny. This problem persists throughout the performance, but there are enough visual gags to delight the audience. The manipualtion of the objects is entertaining and inventive and is what holds the show together. The role of King Ubu is personified as a bottle with a couple of eyes stuck tot the front. The DIY nature of the show adds to the charm, but the clowning of the two puppeteers causes the story to feel a little tired. It takes a while to get going and the 75 minute duration does feel a little bit too long. Storytelling is clearly not the priority of the performers and if it was given more attention then Ubu On The Table would be more succinct and enjoyable.
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