A NOISE WITHIN'S 'UBU ROI' IS ROYALLY ENTERTAINING.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic

He's fat, coarse and an utter coward. The initial words out of his mouth - unprintable - scandalized the notions of traditional theater when he first uttered them more than 100 years ago. We first encounter Pa Ubu stuffing his face while atop a toilet, seated next to his not much more refined wife. Shortly thereafter, Ma and Pa Ubu are plotting the murder of the king of Poland. You might say that Ubu proceeds from one throne to another.

There's considerable down-and-dirty fun to be had in Julia Rodriguez Elliott's staging of "Ubu Roi" for A Noise Within. Although much of it originates from Alan Blumenfeld's ultra-gross Ubu, the king has plenty of assistance. Considering how rarely Alfred Jarry's subversive trio of "Ubu" plays gets a professional staging, the work of Glendale's classical company is all the more worth investigating.

"Ubu Roi" is, in part, a send-up of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" (with elements of "Julius Caesar" tossed in as well). Granted, the Ubus don't exactly possess the wiles of Lord and Lady M. And when Pa Ubu does reach the throne (the royal one, that is), his dictatorial buffoonery fully blossoms. Of course, when your opponents carry names like Boggerlas (Shaun Taylor-Corbett) and Captain Macnure (Stephen Rockwell), even a dolt like Ubu has a chance to prosper.

Clownishly costumed (by Leon Wiebers) to enhance his hips and general egg shape, Blumenfeld makes Ubu a man of great appetite and little fortitude. Coming across as smarter, but no less down-and-dirty, is Deborah Strang's Ma Ubu. Handling both sets and prop design, Melissa Ficociello adds greatly to the production's air of disreputable whimsy.

There are three more Ubu plays. Here's hoping Blumenfeld and A Noise Within have a go at one or more of them as well.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com