BAC to Ubu.

Ended the week at the BAC to see the MA Physical Theatre International Ensemble's first show Chairman Ubu directed by Sean Foley. There were some cracking performances and strong commitment from the actors who took Jarry's anarchic play about power and desire and set it at an office party where middle manager Ubu unveils his naked ambition to raise himself up to the boardroom.

Cedric, was great fun and really charming in the main role with wonderful support from Paka and Alice, playing a Spanish and English actress, respectively, fighting for the role of Ma Ubu.

The company had had a couple of try outs back at Uni during the week, but the houses had been disappointing and although the theatre was pretty full last night, there was a feeling that they'd settled for playing out the pre rehearsed show, rather than allowing us to be part of the fun. This isn't to say it wasn't an entertaining evening, but rather that the performers lacked the supreme confidence needed to relax and play off the audience's reaction. Occasionally they needed to take the foot off the accelerator and wait for laughter. In the end, deprived of the opportunity, we kept much of it to ourselves.

It is a shame so few of the undergraduates got to see the work, particularly as the actors had both a control over the material and a level of performance energy that we rarely see. For all the flaws there was a lot to learn here.

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