King Ubu

A 'bawdy black farce', this downgrading of the Scottish Play, from former Czech cameraman FA Brabec, does to Shakespeare's tragedy what Macbeth did to Duncan. Having made his military mark with army manoeuvres signalled by burps and farts, cretinous general Ubu and his lieutenant M'Nure knock off King Wenceslas at the behest of the Medusa-locked Mrs Ubu. Once enthroned, Ubu molests maidens, impose prohibitive taxes (on death, rheumatism and pickles), tours the land by motorbike, with trailing gallows rig, and declares war on Russia. It's cheerfully scattershot nonsense, but Milos Macourek's script from Alfred Jarry's play is witless, and there's a loud desperation about Brabec's direction.