Party with Pa and Ma Ubu Late night rock musical bathes you in sweat, absinthe and kielbasa juice
THEATER UBU SINGS UBU Adapted & Co-Directed by Tony Torn Choreography & Co-Directed by Dan Safer Sun. | Jan. 11 | 11 p.m. Mon. | Jan. 12 | 8 p.m. & 11 p.m. At the Slipper Room 167 Orchard St. (btw. Stanton & Rivington Sts.) Tickets: $22 at the door, $18 in advance Purchase at slipperroom.com or call 212-253-7246 For artist info: ubu-sings-ubu.com PHOTO BY MAX BASCH
BY SCOTT STIFFLER
F
obsters • Seaf aks • L ood S te
Moran’s
Skin is in, and so is satire — in Tony Torn’s adaptation of “Ubu Roi.”
Jarry aficionado James Habacker, who serves as Slipper Room’s major domo, calls the notorious “Ubu” playwright “one of the most significant and influential of modern artists, if not the most influential. When others were talking the talk, Jarry was walking the walk.” That walk was a short one: Jarry died in 1907 at the age of 34, and the original run of “Ubu” closed the same night that it opened: Dec. 10, 1896. Although the basic plot was familiar (Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” set in Poland), Parisian audiences were apparently not yet ready for the combination of a surreal narrative, bizarre visuals and Jarry’s flagrant disregard for social and political norms. Flash forward to modern times, and Torn’s adaptation builds upon the once-scandalous play’s subversive spirit, while leaving much of the original content intact (including the presence of a menacing bear). Two notable additions give this
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‘Timeless Old-World Vibes pervade this Chelsea Fixture, a refuge for quality American fare in a classic pub-style setting featuring an open fire and a vast Waterford collection. The staff’s lack of ‘tude helps explain why it’s been around for so long’ -ZAGAT 2009 Seating everyday noon to midnight Private parties for 10 to 400 - Reservations Suggested
146 Tenth Ave at 19th St.
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January 8, 2015
212-627-3030
If you appreciate peace of mind, you’ll understand why it makes sense to preplan with us. We know of no other policies that work as this:
PHOTO BY MAX BASCH
inding an ample supply of flesh on display at the Slipper Room is a given — but whether it’s shocking or sexy is purely in the eye, and quite often the groin, of the beholder. That’s what makes the decadent burlesque venue such a good match for the brief run of this satirical, skin-filled rock musical (whose run at Abrons Arts Center last April saw its liquor-fueled audience turning the curtain call into a mosh-friendly celebration). Created from the French text of Alfred Jarry’s play “Ubu Roi” by way of the Google Translate engine, “Ubu Sings Ubu” is adapter, co-director and co-star Tony Torn’s rowdy and profane gift to those not yet ready to head home after seeing an early show. “Under the Radar and other downtown festivals have discontinued their late night lounges,” notes Torn, who asks, “Where will the hordes of late-night theatre professionals go after the 8 p.m. shows have ended? If they have the guts to party with Pa and Ma Ubu, we’ll be ready to bathe them in sweat, absinthe and kielbasa juice!”
Can you bear it? Drunk on absinthe or stone cold sober, this “Ubu” has claws.
version some claws of its own. Burlesque icon Julie Atlas Muz has a slinky form and a gift for rhythmic cadence that promises to function well alongside the “giddy, angular new wave rock” of a theremin-infused band covering the work of cult songmakers Pere Ubu, itself inspired by the play’s name and style.
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