General Basha Bash is a very loyal man. Loyal, that is, to the current government, until he topples it. So far in the African nation of Guatana he has taken part in nine military coups. But the Supreme Council for Advanced Redemption, the governing council of the new regime, has hardly started lining its pockets, when General Basha Basha is planning his 10th uprising. With his wife egging him on like Lady Macbeth, Basha decides that he wants the top job for himself, and when the outside world starts objecting to a regime of military rule, the perfect solution is found - constitutional monarchy. King Baabu is born, and there is nothing in the slightest bit constitutional about the way he sets about ruling through a combination of intimidation, rape and murder. Before long he is planning to unify the entire continent into one kingdom - Pax Baboonia.
Wole Soyinka's play, receiving its European premiere courtesy of Zimbabwe's Over the Edge theatre company, takes Ubu Roi and Macbeth to Africa to create a sly, rumbustious parable about the fragile nature of democracy in emerging nations, and shows how the acceptance of corruption helps dictators to thrive. Over the Edge's production is a little raw, but its rough-around-the-edges style only adds to its energetic charm, and the actors grow in confidence as this bloody tale unfolds. The term "shotgun wedding" is given new meaning in a show that sees the funny side of an African tragedy.
Edinburgh Guide
Drams: None Needed.
Venue Augustine’s
Reviewer Bill Dunlop.
"If Zanu-PF puts up a baboon as a candidate, you vote for the baboon." Thus Simon Muzenda, vice-president of Zimbabwe, on the Zimbabwe elections of 2001. Over The Edge take this statement to a logical conclusion in a very fast and furiously funny re-take of Wole Soyinka’s 'King Baabu', the Nobel Laureate’s re-working of Alfred Jarry's Ubu plays. The Zimbabwean company give Soyinka's text lalldy in a production which uses well-judged physical theatre to subtly emphasise the mocking anger which sub-texts its high farcical comedy.
The company sustain the humour throughout the familiar story of the bumbling Baabu/Ubu's rise to power through the machinations of his wife and brother-in-law. Every news headline of the recent and further past is comedically toyed with as corruption insidiously blocks every pore of the body politic, and each regime-changing shift from the previous paradigm of government is shown to be as bad, if not worse, than what went before.
Over The Edge are a very strong company, among whom it is invidious to single out specific performances. Danai Gurira’s performances as Baabu's wife Maariya and the ultimately corruptible Shokikpoki are delightful in their strength and intelligence, performances neatly matching Craig Peter's bombastic numbskull of a Baabu. They are more than ably supported by their fellow cast members to a finale which in its unexpectedly low-key way, makes a perfect ending to an almost perfect piece of theatre. If you can only manage to see one show this Fringe, this should certainly be high on your short list.
Outrageous, moving, frightening, funny and unmissable. It always feels a privilege to be involved in the work of a theatre group which is truly a company. Individual outstanding talents interact and support each other and take risks together. The message is not just for Zimbabwe, but for all nations who wonder how much of the truth our political leaders tell us. Now who does that leave out? See it!
Three Weeks
Rated: *** Venue Augustine’s
This adaptation of Jarry's Ubu Roi, aptly reworks it as the story of a tinpot African dictatorship. The fact that the Over The Edge theatre company hail from Zimbabwe makes the show all the more resonant. Though the play is not groundbreaking, it is an entertaining take on the ridiculous and tyrannical behaviour of egotistical dictators and their sycophantic lackeys.
The show highlights how vacuous the use of the word "democracy" can become, as each individual that is vying for power proudly professes to be the sole person speaking on behalf of the people. It's a colourful production, and the six strong cast create a wide range of characters extremely well.
