The Ugly One, a satire about looks, plays The Junction from 6 to 8 November
Ice&Spice Theater brings back Marius von Mayenburg's comedy about a man who changes his face for a final weekend at Alserkal Avenue's black box theatre, after seven nominations at this year's Junction Awards.
Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, 17th Street, Al Quoz, Dubai
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The Ugly One, a satirical comedy by the German playwright Marius von Mayenburg, returns to The Junction in Alserkal Avenue for three nights, on Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November. The production by Ice&Spice Theater first played the same small theatre in October 2025, and this run is billed as its final weekend.
The play asks how far a person will go to become the person others want to see. Its hero is told that he is ugly, and the comedy follows what happens when he changes how the world looks at him. The ticket page describes a darkly funny look at the pressure to meet other people's expectations, and at how much of our confidence depends on outside approval, with the lines between identity, acceptance and transformation growing harder to see as the evening goes on.
Gillian Rhodes directs a cast of four: Audrey Jégu, Keenan McFadzean, Patrick Albrecht and Sadiq Saboowala. Kehkashan Anand is production manager and Lina Younes designed the set. The production picked up seven nominations at the Junction Awards 2026 and won Best Set Design.
The Junction calls itself Dubai's home for local theatre: an intimate black box space in Al Quoz that stages plays, comedy, improv, music and poetry, most of it made by performers who live in the UAE. Shows there are small, so seats are close to the stage and runs are short; this one has three dates only.
The play is in English and is for ages 12 and over. Tickets are sold through Platinumlist, where the start time of each performance is shown when you book. The Junction is at Unit H72 in Alserkal Avenue, off 17th Street in Al Quoz; there is parking inside the Avenue, and on a busy weekend it is worth arriving early. After Sunday's show this production closes.