The play Ubu King, written by Alfred Jarry, is the ninth play by the Os Geraldos group and is directed by Gabriel Villela, one of the most awarded and recognized directors on the Brazilian theater scene.

The play – a classic of Western theater, a landmark of rupture and transgression in the 19th century – unveils its contemporary relevance, by satirizing the current Brazil.

The play marks the second collaboration between director Gabriel Villela and Os Geraldos, both sharing a dedication to popular theater rooted in Brazilian culture and engaging in a dynamic conversation with the current context of the audience

Thus, “Ubu King” satirizes power obtained by usurpation and exercised with tyranny, by presenting Papa and Mama Ubu, a couple driven by barbarity who invade Poland and, assassinating the king, assume his throne.

In 2022, the play had its premiere at theater festivals from Araçatuba (FESTARA) and Presidente Prudente (FENTEPP), as well as at the SESC Campinas, drawing an audience of over 700 spectators. The tour continued into 2023, kicking off with a season from January to March at the Teatro Anchieta, located at Sesc Consolação.

CRITICS

The storyline of "Ubu King" unfolds the journey of a couple immersed in barbarity, leading an invasion of Poland, dethroning the king, and gradually dismantling institutions until their descent into madness and disgrace.

The text by the father of absurd theater, Alfred Jarry, usually finds a parallel in “Macbeth”, a classic by William Shakespeare. However, for director Gabriel Villela, the story of the rise and fall of Papa Ubu and Mama Ubu also bears similarities to the Brazilian political landscape.

“It is a fable full of ironies about what power is. When we started the project, at the pre-election moment, we saw the emergence of masses seeking spaces for confrontation in the open air. We made that parallel [with the plot of the play],” says Villela.

Bruno Cavalcanti (Folha de São Paulo)

It certainly should not “go unnoticed” by the eyes of the public and the critics. Villela had no qualms in ratifying all his disgust with the current political system in the national territory and built a dark, cruel and merciless fable about our current times, the human duality, and why not, the lack of character and dialogue.

“Ubu King” is a classic of world dramaturgy that makes a sharp and violent criticism of the power that politics offers and how these tortuous paths can take unforeseeable turns.

Rodolfo Lima (Instagram @ilusoesnasalaescura)