Reviews

Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry

Only show reviews with written explanations

stefo's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The silliest and most childish thing I've read in a while, but in the best way possible.

migracoeur's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Benchmark for théâtre de l'absurde, a scatological masterpiece. A huge step towards surrealism and dadaism. The symbolism of the ‘spiral’ is just brilliant. “Manger, digérer, expulser.” Ubu Roi is universal, just as Jarry himself said, "M. Ubu est un être ignoble, ce pourquoi il nous ressemble à tous.”

sydneyrose07's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

marlo42's review against another edition

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3.0

This is a bizarre piece of theatre. I enjoyed it, but mostly because it’s so very very stupid I couldn’t help but to laugh at it. It’s very likely you may find this off-putting if you read it yourself, which is a fair take, but I enjoy my idiocy where I can find it.

rettaroo's review against another edition

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If John Waters-- not the JW of Hairspray or Cry Baby, but the down and dirty creator of Pink Flamingoes-- did an interpretation mash up of Macbeth and Julius Caesar... You might get something approaching this play. I had a different translation, one that the translator, David Copelin, called the only one "with balls."

Well, sheeyit! Funny, disturbing, gross... And the exploration of corruption, tyranny, and greed of man still very relevant, of course.