GESTAS DE PAPA UBÚ
Compañía Ferroviaria Artes Escénicas
They play was represented the 24th of November, 2005, at L’Altre Espai theatre.
The cast:
Manuel Hernández: Papá Ubú
Gema Segura: Mamá Ubú
Mario Esteban: Memnón/ Monomonarca/Mandamás/People
Emma López: Palotín/people/soldier/politician/judge/rich people
Cristian Weidmann: Palotín/conscience/people
Leticia Ñeco: Tatana dancer/Arqueopterix
In both unknown space and time, Ubú appears singing and dancing, shouting like a clown. The first you think is that he is a sympathetic character, but quickly you found he is a crazy, sarcastic, ambitious, tyrannical man.
The first he does, is killing the Monomonarca, and get the throne.
Since the moment he has the power, he starts a dictatorship, where he will govern by himself and to himself, without thinking in the people of the town.
He will eliminate all the people who interfere in his way; poor people, rich people, also Mamá Ubú, who has lied him, and now she has to live hidden between the normal people.
Papá Ubú will make economical pacts with other countries, lying them, extorting them and also invading the territories and sacking them.
He will sign an agreement with another dictator, Mandamás, and both will travel conquering the world and suffering the consequences of his acts.
Another important aspect in the play is the “Mierdra”, he always is producing Mierdra.
I think it refers to the censorship, to the ignorance of the people who live in a dictatorship, the low cultural level people have and all the other prohibitions that a political system like this one has, they only know and will know what a dictator would want they to know.
This version of the play is an adaptation to our days, with continuous references to the actual world’s political situation and making comparisons with his dictatorship, so we will find sarcastic points of view in topics like the dictatorships of Hitler, Franco, Mussolini, or the actual invasion of Irak.
To sum up, this play is a comic, sarcastic criticism to the dictatorships, and to the selfishness that having the power produces. <<<<<<<<<RII - EL ZOO DE CRISTAL >>>>>>>