''Ubu Rock'' is an American musical by composer/lyricist

Rusty Magee Benjamin Rush "Rusty" Magee (August 6, 1955 – February 16, 2003) was an accomplished comedian, actor and composer/lyricist for theatre, television, film and commercials. Biography Early life Magee was born in Washington, D.C., the son ...

, with a book by Andrei Belgrader, and Shelley Berc, based on

Alfred Jarry Alfred Jarry (; 8 September 1873 – 1 November 1907) was a French symbolist writer who is best known for his play ''Ubu Roi'' (1896). He also coined the term and philosophical concept of 'pataphysics. Jarry was born in Laval, Mayenne, France, ...

's controversial 1896 French play ''

Ubu Roi ''Ubu Roi'' (; "Ubu the King" or "King Ubu") is a play by French writer Alfred Jarry, then 23 years old. It was first performed in Paris in 1896, by Aurélien Lugné-Poe's Théâtre de l'Œuvre at the Nouveau-Théâtre (today, the Théâtre de P ...

''. It had its premiere on June 2, 1995 at the

American Repertory Theater The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It ran through July 16, 1995 and then again from March 13 to March 23, 1996.

Plot and production

At the urging of Ma Ubu, Pa Ubu seizes power by deposing the royal family of Poland. When the Polish population revolts against the Ubus'

kakistocracy A kakistocracy (, ) is a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens. The word was coined as early as the seventeenth century. Peter Bowler has noted in his book that there is no word for the government run by the ...

, Ma and Pa must flee to America. The show, in honor of ''

''s controversial first word ("merdre"), the show began with an uptempo vocal jazz song, sung by the chorus, with just one lyric: "Shit." During a war scene, the show features a lengthy "Button Song", in which General Lasky, head of the Polish Infantry, insisted that his troops sing a military cadence involving an increasingly large number of buttons on his jacket. During the American Repertory Theater production run, audience members routinely threw programs, bottles of water, food, and other items at the actors during this scene (angering Lasky and leading him to restart at one button).

Reception

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' called the show "scatological, sexually puerile and deliberately offensive, even in the

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, ...

age", but said it was "the most entertaining and provocative production of the American Repertory Theatre schedule." It similarly praised the 1996 return engagement as "a hands-down, hilarious sendup of contemporary mores and modern musicals." ''

Artforum International ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ x 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notably, ...

'' said: "More freewheeling romp than Artaudian bit of cruelty, this musical-theater piece, a burlesque of pop-culture quotations, self-reflexivity, and good old-fashioned scatology, blunts what was once cutting edge," while praising its sight gags as "supremely innovative".

Musical numbers

;Act I * Opening Song (Shit) * Get What You Want * We'll Kill Him Good * My Son * Song of the Ancestors * I Am the Dicktator * We Love Pa Ubu * Wrong is Just the Same as Right * I Am Everything There Is * The Rat Sarabande ;Act II * Let's Go To War * Ubu Chant * The Button Song * Back Together Again * A New Land is Waiting * Postlude

Roles

Subsequent productions

Ubu Rock was performed in 2006 at John Jay College and, in 2008, as an "interactive theater" production by Empty Set Productions in San Francisco.

References

{{Alfred Jarry 1995 musicals Musicals based on plays Musicals set in Poland Works based on Ubu Roi