The Polish Play
Devised and Directed by Henry Wishcamper
Walker Space
46 Walker St.
212-868-4444

Review by Elissa Hunter

This ain’t your momma’s Shakespeare. Henry Wishcamper’s The Polish Play takes its cues not only from Macbeth but also from Alfred Jarry’s retelling, Ubu Roi. The plot, which centers on a greedy tyrant who murders his way to the crown, will be familiar to anyone who took high school English, while the names and setting come specifically from Jarry’s rendition: out with Scotland and the Macbeths, in with Poland and the Ubus. Nixing the doom and gloom of its predecessors, this new version is funny and oh-so-naughty. Fart jokes and references to infected male organs run rampant, all told with a tongue-in-cheek humor by a talented cast.

Led by Avenue Q’s Jordan Gelber as Pere Ubu, the cast hits the ground running and doesn’t let up. Most of the players have multiple roles and are joined on stage by marionettes. Everyone, including the Foley artist sitting at a sound effects table straight out of “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” puts such enthusiasm into what they do that it becomes impossible not to be drawn into the story.

As wonderful as the cast is, the set design and fight choreography are what really sets The Polish Play over the edge. Takeshi Kata’s set design is a true utilization of the small performance space. Every piece undergoes multiple transformations at the drop of a hat. The king’s throne becomes the three witches’ bubbling cauldrons, a table becomes a battlefield, and little nooks and crannies seem to pop out of nowhere. Qui Nguyen’s climactic fight scenes are simultaneously breathtaking and hilarious. Crotch kicks abound, and in the final fight scene, the actors are propelled onto the stage props to create a dance-fight straight out of “The Matrix.” For anyone who can enjoy the subtle nuance of a well-placed wet willy on the battlefield, The Polish Play is just what the doctor — or, in this case, the greedy, murderous Polish king — ordered.