An old play with a new twist is coming to Mount Allison University. The original play was called Ubu Roi, and was written by Alfred Jarry in the late 1890s.
But now, professor emeritus, Alex Fancy is giving it a modern update by turning it into a play within a play and sprinkling in a mix of French and English. This new version of Ubu Roi is called UBU 2024.
Fancy has been presenting bilingual plays for more than fifty years. It started as a way to help his students to use their language skills outside of the classroom. All these decades later, it’s still working.
Actor and student Emily Crowley said she’s drawn to the material because it’s a mix, of languages, of old and new eras, and because the actors get a chance to break down gender binaries through the changing of characters.
The play opens on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at Mount Allison University’s Motyer-Fancy Theatre.
