The first part of Alfred Jarry's four-part drama series is staged by the Gheorgheni theater company, directed by Sardar Tagirovsky. The French playwright’s work Ubu Roi and the other three plays of the Ubu cycle became the 19th-century predecessors of absurd theater.

The author of the play, the father of absurd drama, Alfred Jarry, was born in France in 1873. His literary talent became apparent at an early age, and in his early twenties – alongside several verse farces – he wrote Ubu Roi. In his works, he blends provocation, absurdity, farce, parody, and coarse humor. The protagonist of the play, “Papa Ubu”–a greedy and helpless dragoon captain who, encouraged by his wife, “Mama Ubu”, kills the Polish king and takes the throne becomes a symbol of boundless, immoral power intoxication.

This season, in honor of the past 40 years of work, the Figura Theater is reinterpreting titles and performances that were first presented by the company in its early years. Ubu Roi was first staged in 1987, then again in 1991, directed by László Bocsárdi with the then team. The newest production of Ubu Roi is directed by Sardar Tagirovsky, with Cristopher Demeter Márk assisting as director's assistant. The creative team also includes set designer Kata Mihály, costume designer Beáta Sós, and company member Gábor Kolozsi Borsos, this time working as the composer.

The play features numerous characters, some of whom are historical figures, such as King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia or Tsar Alexis of Russia, though most are creations of fantasy. The entire company will be featured in the premiere of Ubu Roi, which will be held on Friday, February 21, at 7:00 PM at the Öntöde Studio Hall. Additional performances will be on February 26 and 28, at the same time.

Tickets are available in advance online at www.figura.ro, as well as on-site before the performances. For reservations and more information, call 0752-227-011 or email org@figura.ro.