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Review: 'Ubu' is fun political satire
BAY AREA NEWS GROUP
Article Launched: 08/03/2008 10:09:53 AM PDT

Berkeley's Shotgun Players have developed a new hybrid theatrical art form — Commedia dell'Silly with the debut of "Ubu for President," which is able to poke merciless fun at the political process without drawing serious blood from any of the current political candidates.

You must supply the Magic Marker to draw your own political conclusions as you watch this wildly funny piece based on characters created by late 19th century author Alfred Jarry. Jarry based his Pa Ubu (Dave Garrett) character on a high school teacher he loathed.

Pa is loosely based on Macbeth, but with none of the Scottish gent's redeeming characteristics. And, naturally, his wife, Ma Ubu (Carla Pandora), is modeled after the over-achieving Lady Macbeth, only without her subtlety.

These two, and a host of other equally bizarre characters drawn by playwright/adapter Josh Costello, gallop through the transition of a country from a monarchy to a democracy through an election.

The process begins when the citizens (the audience) petitions the King (Gary Grossman) to turn the country from a monarchy to a democracy. The prancing divine-right dude agrees, much to the dismay of his lush wife the Queen (Megan Guzman) who wears her crown at a boozy angle and carries a martini glass much like a scepter.

But the king goes ahead, quickly becoming the presidential candidate. He is quickly joined by Ubu, a belching incompetent; Ming (Sung Min Park), who has a bunch of last names representing every possible ethnic group, and hates no living or possibly living, thing; the king's daughter Princess Buggerless (Casi Maggio), who is running on a pink powered platform of "Princess Power;" and Laski (Alf Pollard) an old guy in a cardigan.

The whole thing turns into a silly chase in the outdoor theater, with much high and low comedy, silly gags, outrageous word play, only-slightly-masked profanity, an election, and a sort of comedic free-for-all that somehow manages to make some nicely pointed commentary on the current scene.

It's all good stuff, but the premise is a bit to thin to carry the play out to two hours. The piece needs some serious trimming to be even funnier.