Program for King Ubu (Ubu Roi)

The French author Alfred Jarry is best known for his play Ubu Roi (King Ubu). Jarry's five-act play premiered on December 10, 1896, at the Théâtre de L'Oeuvre in Paris. The play was a scatological farce that caricatured royalty and the abuse of power with the main character Ubu symbolizing injustice and greed. The jarring iconoclastic humor of the program for Ubu Roi prefigures surrealism and retains its edge to the present day. The image is a visual touchstone for the outrageous character of Jarry's theatrical production.