Ubu

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Neither theatre nor visual installation. With actors, actresses, and puppets, one of the great names of contemporary theatre speaks to us about war and totalitarianism in this unclassifiable proposal that connects the work of Alfred Jarry and Joan Miró.


The year 2021 marked the 125th anniversary of Alfred Jarry's première of Ubu Rey in Paris in 1896. That anniversary triggered a stage project inspired by Imma Prieto, director of Es Baluard. Museu d'Art Contemporani de Palma. In parallel, the art centre planned an exhibition and a theatre production. Both focused on Joan Miró's approach to the version of Ubu Rey staged by the experimental theatre group La Claca in 1978, with Miró puppets created by Joan Baixas, as if Miró had granted permission for an army of extravagant characters to leave the canvases of his paintings. Robert Wilson, one of the world's leading figures in stage experimentation, takes the moment when the universe of La Masia's creator met that of the inventor of pataphysics to create a combination of visual and performing arts that reflects the power of both creators and brings back to the stage Ubu Rey's critique of totalitarianism and war. They are embodied by a grotesque and dictatorial character, which Wilson faithfully recreates while imbuing him with a life and personality of his own. Here the essence of the piece is used as a source of inspiration to approach the madness of power through tyranny, arbitrariness, cruelty, absurdity, cowardice, and death. The diverse characters in the piece, which take the form of a dance, blend to form a dynamic collage of puppets, banners, animals, grotesque dances and recorded voices. As a result, the public can choose how they want to view this ridiculous representation of power and barbarism.


Robert Wilson is a stage personality born in Waco (Texas) who, since the late 70s, has shaped the way theatre and opera are performed with proposals that incorporate in unconventional ways disciplines such as dance, movement, lighting, sculpture, music, and text. He is the founder and artistic director of the Watermill Center, a renowned creative centre for the arts located near New York.