BB/13. U!-BU? … U!-YES!

Day 7 of the festival, June 14, 2026

U!-BU? (Teatro Matita, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana Puppet Theater, dir. Matija Solce)

U!-BU? is yet another performance from the accompanying program that I’ve been following this season on the Borštnik Blog as a BB intern, and I’m not writing about it because I could add anything more to it (especially not with these ordinary words and sentences), but because I’m immensely happy that we were able to see it at the puppet theater.

We gathered in quite a large group, and I don’t think anyone in the audience expected so many butts and farts on stage. Refreshing! Through nothing but mumbling (which, of course, isn’t mumbling at all, but a Dadaist masterpiece), the cast portrays all the world’s billionaires and leaders, their views (“billions and billions and billions… and billions of DOLLARS!”), and pokes fun at them. Of course, they also take a jab at us, the sheep who follow the bigwigs.

The production’s greatest strengths are its unbridled creative freedom and the infectious playfulness of its creators, which permeate every moment. No idea is too unusual or daring to find its place on stage. The production confidently embraces its absurdity and humor without losing any of its sharpness or ingenuity, effortlessly making the audience laugh sincerely and from the heart. The seriousness that otherwise pervades much of the festival is interrupted by a loud fart! But don’t let the farts and butts fool you, because the production is innovative in its inventiveness and so clever that throughout the entire performance I found myself asking: “How on earth did you come up with that?” and “How is it possible to say so much with so few words?”

As stated in the show’s description (which I highly recommend reading!), it’s, among other things, a “grotesque fart opera,” and I can’t help but praise the musical numbers. The choruses are very catchy and linger in your head long after the show ends, while the choreography is inventive, comical, and memorable. The most beautiful moment of the show is when the back wall rises, revealing the empty Minorites’ gallery before us (to which the performers, of course, bow at the end so that no one is excluded), and a breath of fresh summer air rushes in. Looking at the empty seats, I think about how alive the performance is; I’m convinced that, with its energy, it would succeed even without an audience, since the performers are having so much fun. But I also think of the spirits, the presence of yet another audience that I cannot see.

I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the team, their puppets, and Dadaism for a wonderful hour of fun and a breath of fresh air!

*prevedeno z DeepL AI/translated with DeepL AI. This text was translated from Slovenian using AI tools solely to ensure international accessibility. As a festival that deeply values human creativity and authorship, we thank you for your understanding regarding any linguistic or contextual imperfections.