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Allentown, Pa. (Jan. 30, 2018<\/span><\/span>) \u2014 \u201cUbu Roi\u201d kicks off the Muhlenberg College theater and dance department\u2019s spring Mainstage theater season. Alfred Jarry\u2019s absurd \u2014 and surprisingly timely \u2014 19th century play is directed by theater faculty member Francine Roussel.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Ubu\u2019 is about the rise and fall of ambition and the abuse of political power,\u201d Roussel says. \u201cIt\u2019s violent, it has a great sense of humor \u2014 and it is, unfortunately, totally real.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUbu Roi\u201d has a long and controversial history; in fact, a riot broke out as the curtain fell on opening night in Paris in 1896. Jarry\u2019s bizarre, subversive little play was shouted down as an ugly vulgarity and outlawed from the French stage. Since the dust has settled, though, theater historians have come to view the play as an essential work of the avant-garde theater \u2014 a precursor to Dada, Surrealism, and the Theater of the Absurd.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Roussel says audiences will witness a cruel and idiotic dictator making a series of increasingly bad political decisions, fueled by his own ego and hunger for power, control, and food.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis should sound familiar,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I saw what was going on with Trump, it was suddenly urgent, imperative to put on this play at this time,\u201d Roussel says. \u201cEverything was consistent \u2014 a personality that is both narcissistic and autocratic can change democracy to tyranny over time, and we can see that in the play and in the news.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Muhlenberg senior David Raccio, who plays Papa Ubu, the titular despot, agrees.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been really willing to weave Donald Trump and this current American moment into the context of the play,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt seems like there\u2019s daily news about the Trump administration that directly relates to what we\u2019re doing. It\u2019s creepy,\u201d says Gabi Adamo \u201918, who plays manipulative matriarch Mama Ubu. \u201cThrough all of those weird, dark moments, Francine has been this beacon of light that really lets us be bold, try new things, and be a little silly, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUbu Roi\u201d parodies Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cMacbeth,\u201d with elements of \u201cHamlet\u201d and \u201cKing Lear\u201d tossed in for good measure. Originally conceived to mock Jarry\u2019s terrible physics teacher, the character of Ubu eventually grew into a rotund, capricious tyrant who leads a revolution, kills the King of Poland, and gets attacked by a bear \u2014 all in the course of a scandalous hour and a half.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo many big, ridiculous things happen \u2014 you can\u2019t even imagine,\u201d Raccio says. \u201cThere are huge battles, horses to mount, crazy props that make no sense, and a bunch of surprises.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy favorite part is getting to see the physical tricks people come up with,\u201d Adamo says. \u201cHaving Mike at rehearsal, working with the cast, has been so beneficial.\u201d Faculty member Michael G. Chin choreographs and fight-directs the enormous amount of stunt work and stage combat in the show.<\/span><\/p>\n Roussel credits her creative team as one of the show\u2019s great strengths, citing Chin, scenic and lighting designer Curtis Dretsch, costume designer Alisa Sickora Kleckner, and composer Doug Ovens. They have worked together to create a versatile, chaotic set, brilliantly absurd costumes, and pompous fanfares that play the idiot king into battle and disaster.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere is a wealth of talented, passionate people working on \u2018Ubu\u2019 who are committed to making it memorable and resonant,\u201d Roussel says.<\/span><\/p>\n Adamo believes this production will incite the Muhlenberg community into political engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have a feeling we\u2019re going to be talking about this show for a while,\u201d she says, \u201cnot just in theater classes, but in political science classes, history classes, and more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUbu Roi\u201d plays Feb. 21-25<\/span><\/span> in the Studio Theatre in Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance, Muhlenberg College, 2400 West Chew St., Allentown<\/a>. Showtimes are Wednesday<\/span><\/span> through Saturday<\/span><\/span> at 8 p.m.<\/span><\/span>, and Saturday<\/span><\/span> and Sunday<\/span><\/span> at 2 p.m.<\/span><\/span> Regular admission tickets are $15. Tickets for youth and LVAIC students and staff are $8. The production is intended for mature audiences.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Tickets can be purchased online at muhlenberg.edu\/theatre<\/a> or by phone at 484-664-3333<\/a>.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Panel Discussion: <\/b>A panel of experts will participate in a panel discussion titled \u201cUbu Roi: It\u2019s Even Worse Than You Think,\u201d on Friday, Feb. 23, 2 to 3:15 p.m.<\/span><\/span> Professors from several of Muhlenberg\u2019s academic departments will discuss what happens when politics becomes entertainment. Participants include Jeremy Teissere, neuroscience; Chris Borick, political science; Leticia Robles-Moreno, theater; and Paul McEwan, languages, literatures and cultures. Theatre professor James Peck will serve as moderator. The discussion will take place in the Studio Theatre, Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance. Admission is free and open to the public.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is a highly selective, private, four-year residential college located in Allentown, PA., approximately 90 miles west of New York City. With an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, sciences, business, education and public health. A member of the Centennial Conference, Muhlenberg competes in 22 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n Muhlenberg offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in theater and dance. The Princeton Review has ranked Muhlenberg\u2019s theater program in the top twelve in the nation for eight years in a row, and Fiske Guide to Colleges lists both the theater and dance programs among the top small college programs in the United States. Muhlenberg is one of only eight colleges to be listed in Fiske for both theater and dance. <\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Information Provided By: <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nScott Snyder
\nMarketing Manager
\nMuhlenberg College Department of Theatre & Dance<\/p>\n
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