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The Cool As Hell Theatre Podcast episode, featuring director Patrick Dooley.
"The play, UBU FOR PRESIDENT, is loosely based on the play UBU ROI, by Alfred Jarry. And when I say loosely based, I am talking loose like a Hilton Heiress."
Showing posts with label other press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label other press. Show all posts
Monday, August 11, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
A&E Interactive on Paris Hilton vs Ubu for President
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by Karen D'Souza
Paris Hilton for President? Puh-lease! Cast your ballot for Shotgun Players instead. Berkeley’s scrappiest theater company is out to rock the vote and tickle the funny bone with “Ubu for President.” Cheekily adapted from Alfred Jarry’s 1896 absurdist masterpiece “Ubu Roi,” this over-the-topical satire shines a light on the dark side of electoral process. Baby-kissing politicians, killer cheerleaders, shameless audience interaction and a generous dose of potty humor add to this beyond-zany campaign. ”Ubu” runs through Sept. 14 at John Hinkel Park, Arlington Avenue at Southampton Avenue, Berkeley. Oh, and did I mention this summer theater treat is totally FREE? Now that’s HOT.
by Karen D'Souza
Paris Hilton for President? Puh-lease! Cast your ballot for Shotgun Players instead. Berkeley’s scrappiest theater company is out to rock the vote and tickle the funny bone with “Ubu for President.” Cheekily adapted from Alfred Jarry’s 1896 absurdist masterpiece “Ubu Roi,” this over-the-topical satire shines a light on the dark side of electoral process. Baby-kissing politicians, killer cheerleaders, shameless audience interaction and a generous dose of potty humor add to this beyond-zany campaign. ”Ubu” runs through Sept. 14 at John Hinkel Park, Arlington Avenue at Southampton Avenue, Berkeley. Oh, and did I mention this summer theater treat is totally FREE? Now that’s HOT.
Friday, August 1, 2008
East Bay Express preview article
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CRITIC'S CHOICE
Ubu for President
An absurd and scatological send-up of Macbeth and everything society holds dear, Alfred Jarry's gleefully offensive 1896 play UbuRoi (which gave rock band PereUbu its name) tells the story of a stupid, boorish, greedy, craven, and bloodthirsty person utterly without redeeming qualities who becomes ruler of the land through devious means. Hard as it is to imagine that anyone could find modern resonances in something like that (ahem), Impact Theatre Company founder Josh Costello -- now a director at Marin Theatre Company -- has adapted the play to the 2008 presidential election as Ubu for President, a Shotgun Players production helmed by artistic director Patrick Dooley. August 2 through September 14 at JohnHinkelPark (2 Southampton Ave., Berkeley).ShotgunPlayers.org or 510-841-6500.
-- By Sam Hurwitt
CRITIC'S CHOICE
Ubu for President
An absurd and scatological send-up of Macbeth and everything society holds dear, Alfred Jarry's gleefully offensive 1896 play UbuRoi (which gave rock band PereUbu its name) tells the story of a stupid, boorish, greedy, craven, and bloodthirsty person utterly without redeeming qualities who becomes ruler of the land through devious means. Hard as it is to imagine that anyone could find modern resonances in something like that (ahem), Impact Theatre Company founder Josh Costello -- now a director at Marin Theatre Company -- has adapted the play to the 2008 presidential election as Ubu for President, a Shotgun Players production helmed by artistic director Patrick Dooley. August 2 through September 14 at JohnHinkelPark (2 Southampton Ave., Berkeley).ShotgunPlayers.org or 510-841-6500.
-- By Sam Hurwitt
Contra Costa Times preview article
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Craig: ''Ubu for President' updates an absurdist classic
By Pat Craig
Contra Costa Times
Article Launched: 08/01/2008 12:01:22 AM PDT
It could, though — it can always get worse. Alfred Jarry knew that when he wrote "Ubu for President" in 1896, the year William McKinley beat William Jennings Bryan in the presidential race, Utah became the 45th state, Queen Victoria became the longest reigning British monarch and George Burns was born.
Jarry wrote the play about "Ubu Roi," a fictional tyrant who derives great pleasure from trampling his enemies, and is described in the work as a character "so twisted, so perverse, so utterly self-interested and greedy and petty that it's difficult to write him off."
Josh Costello adapted the Ubu tale for contemporary audiences, and will premiere it Saturday in Berkeley's John Hinkel Park as the Shotgun Players' free summer outdoor production. Just to give the show a modern feel, the characters have been thrust into a modern setting with all of their skullduggery intact.
What Costello is also striving to keep intact is the knack Jarry showed at making the worst parts of human nature laughable — a great tool in helping overcome evil.
Shotgun's artistic director Patrick Dooley directs the show that features music arranged by Dave Malloy and lyrics by Dave Garrett.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Chronicle Preview article in 96 Hours
PRESIDENT PAL
'Ubu for President' Play considers the cost of voting based solely on a candidate's charm
Andrea Abney
Thursday, July 31, 2008
What's more important to the U.S. voter: A candidate's stand on the issues facing Americans, or the fact that he's charming and would be a fun guy to share a beer with?
Many might hope it's the former; Patrick Dooley isn't so sure.
"I think there's something really interesting about how we can find ourselves being charmed by someone because of the fact they can't say things quite right, or they seem like a good ol' guy," says Dooley, artistic director of Shotgun Players. The troupe's new play, he says, examines "how we can find ourselves drawn into these personalities, and so then we can think about what might be the repercussions of (voting for that person)."
That's where Pa Ubu comes in.
"Ubu for President" is adapted from Alfred Jarry's "Ubu Roi," which is one of the early plays of the absurdist movement. "Ubu Roi's" main character is an unlikable, grotesque monster. But he can be charming, too.
Dooley and writer Josh Costello kept many of the same situations and characters from "Ubu Roi," but turned Ubu into a presidential candidate. They wanted to examine the electoral process but have fun with it at the same time, especially with voters facing so many key issues in this year's election.
"This election is certainly the most important in my 40 years," Dooley says. "That being said, I felt like it was also really important to step back from that a little bit."
"Ubu for President" maintains many of the absurdist traits of "Ubu Roi"; in the 21st century, that means impromptu show tunes, killer cheerleaders and fights with dirty laundry and old food. Actors will give the audience projectiles to be thrown during the show, and viewers will vote at intermission.
"We wanted to keep the original's sense of storybook silliness," Costello says, "with a king and a ghost and a revenge plot right out of Shakespeare mixed in with a lot of present-day electoral shenanigans."
"What we're really hoping to do is the audience will start to side with Pa Ubu despite the fact that he's a monster," Dooley says. The goal is "to see at the end ... how could that possibly have happened?"
That's how the Shotgun Players "get the bitter pill in with the confection," Dooley adds.
"There's certainly an edge that we're also trying to keep," he says. "It's a comedy - kind of - but there's certainly moments ... where we're really wanting to remind everybody that people are dying. Even if it's with a pom-pom, that they're dying.
"It's a play that celebrates democracy with also showing how absurd and grotesque and insane it is, and how difficult and messy it is."
4 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Through Sept. 14. Free. John Hinkel Park, Arlington Avenue at Southampton Avenue, Berkeley. (510) 841-6500, www.shotgunplayers.org.
- Andrea Abney
'Ubu for President' Play considers the cost of voting based solely on a candidate's charm
Andrea Abney
Thursday, July 31, 2008
What's more important to the U.S. voter: A candidate's stand on the issues facing Americans, or the fact that he's charming and would be a fun guy to share a beer with?
Many might hope it's the former; Patrick Dooley isn't so sure.
"I think there's something really interesting about how we can find ourselves being charmed by someone because of the fact they can't say things quite right, or they seem like a good ol' guy," says Dooley, artistic director of Shotgun Players. The troupe's new play, he says, examines "how we can find ourselves drawn into these personalities, and so then we can think about what might be the repercussions of (voting for that person)."
That's where Pa Ubu comes in.
"Ubu for President" is adapted from Alfred Jarry's "Ubu Roi," which is one of the early plays of the absurdist movement. "Ubu Roi's" main character is an unlikable, grotesque monster. But he can be charming, too.
Dooley and writer Josh Costello kept many of the same situations and characters from "Ubu Roi," but turned Ubu into a presidential candidate. They wanted to examine the electoral process but have fun with it at the same time, especially with voters facing so many key issues in this year's election.
"This election is certainly the most important in my 40 years," Dooley says. "That being said, I felt like it was also really important to step back from that a little bit."
"Ubu for President" maintains many of the absurdist traits of "Ubu Roi"; in the 21st century, that means impromptu show tunes, killer cheerleaders and fights with dirty laundry and old food. Actors will give the audience projectiles to be thrown during the show, and viewers will vote at intermission.
"We wanted to keep the original's sense of storybook silliness," Costello says, "with a king and a ghost and a revenge plot right out of Shakespeare mixed in with a lot of present-day electoral shenanigans."
"What we're really hoping to do is the audience will start to side with Pa Ubu despite the fact that he's a monster," Dooley says. The goal is "to see at the end ... how could that possibly have happened?"
That's how the Shotgun Players "get the bitter pill in with the confection," Dooley adds.
"There's certainly an edge that we're also trying to keep," he says. "It's a comedy - kind of - but there's certainly moments ... where we're really wanting to remind everybody that people are dying. Even if it's with a pom-pom, that they're dying.
"It's a play that celebrates democracy with also showing how absurd and grotesque and insane it is, and how difficult and messy it is."
4 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Through Sept. 14. Free. John Hinkel Park, Arlington Avenue at Southampton Avenue, Berkeley. (510) 841-6500, www.shotgunplayers.org.
- Andrea Abney
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