University Theatre's "Woyzeck" is an ambitious, avant-garde take on Büchner's tale of a murderous soldier

Jennifer A. Smith
Sat, 02 Mar 2013 22:12:09 -0000

Few plays are as enigmatic as Georg Büchner's "Woyzeck". It was never finished due to its author's untimely death at the age of 23, in 1837. Büchner left behind a number of scenes, but no instructions about their order or his intentions. Because of this, the dark tale of Franz Woyzeck, a soldier on the brink of mental and physical collapse who is driven to murder, offers broad artistic possibilities to those who produce it. The University Theatre production (through March 16), which opened last night in Vilas Hall's Mitchell Theatre, upends convention at every turn.