Youth theatre company Ignite’s second production is a piece based on Alfred Jarry’s 1896 play Ubu Roi under the title Ugo Sultan.

The production is set to be staged between February 24 and 26 at the Sagrestia Vault, behind the church of the Flight into Egypt at Valletta Waterfront.

Ugo Sultan is set in 1920s Malta and features notable people that shaped the history of the country.  While Jarry’s play is a parody of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and some parts of Hamlet and King Lear, Ignite’s adaptation Ugo Sultan is likewise satirical, taking aim at people in positions of power.

Audiences shouldn’t expect Ignite’s upcoming play to be a history lesson

Ignite chairperson and cast member Greta Grech says that, although inspired by real events, audiences shouldn’t expect Ignite’s upcoming play to be a history lesson.

“Most of the piece is rooted in reality but we have decided to look at the chain of events from a different angle: the pro-British and pro-Italian points of view,” she said.

Jarry’s play forms part of the Theatre of the Absurd and Ignite’s version will be in keeping with the genre, she affirms.

Ugo Sultan is showing between February 24-26 at 8pm. Tickets can be bought from showshappening.com selling at €8 each with a students’ concession at €5. Ugo Sultan is not suitable for children under the age of 16. Ignite is a voluntary organisation funded by the Arts Council Malta.