'Ubu Roi' was written by Alfred Jarry as a schoolboy in 1888 and performed amongst his friends as a puppet play. The first public performance was in 1896, in Paris, with the collaboration of such people as Bonnard, Serusier, Toulouse-Lautrec and Vuillard. It immediately gained the notoriety that it continues to enjoy. The bare bones of the story are those of 'Macbeth'.