EN
DE
IT
FR
ES
RU
JP
RO
Az Orfeum Mágusa
Order tickets
October 2024 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
The celebratory performance of the 100th anniversary year of the Budapest Operettszínház - this brand new grand operetta - invites the precious audience on a magical journey through time.
The dreamer and builder of the Operettszínház building, Károly Somossy, was the greatest Hungarian living artist of all time. His life could be the subject of several adventure novels. He taught not only Budapest to have fun, but the whole of Europe. The Somossy Orfeum, which opened in 1894, was visited by gentlemen from Vienna, Berlin, and even St. Petersburg. The future King of England, VII. Edward was also a frequent guest of the Orpheum and sought the favors of the old queen of taverns, Carola Cecília. Somossy also built the Hungarian Las Vegas: the luxury district called Constantinople in Budapest. Imre Kálmán's operetta revolution, the Hungarian performing arts of the first half of the 20th century, the line of our literature marked by the names of Gyula Krúdy and Jenő Heltai have their roots in the Orpheum milieu, but many of the Hollywood and Broadway mega-dreamers also drew inspiration from this world.
The grand operetta The Magician of the Orpheum , which in a way is the prequel to The Tavern Queen , takes you back to this magical milieu . It's a crazy world, everyone is having fun like there's no tomorrow. Somossy is the king of the night and lives like one. His lover is the beautiful prima donna of the Orfeum, Carola Cecília, who is also his business partner: together they rob the magnates. Everything is going perfectly until Somossy notices a new talent, the sparkling Bella, and Zdénkó Lazarovics, the richest tycoon of the Monarchy, who has come to ask for Carola Cecília's hand in marriage, enters the Orfeum with great fanfare. At the same time, an unexpected visitor arrives at Somossy's office: Ármina, his wife, who satisfied her husband's debauchery. The gentle wife turns into a warrior dragon. The sharp-witted new prima donna proves to be a tough nut to crack for both Somossy and Carola Cecília, the clownish wheat tycoon who seems to be easy prey, and Zdénkó the toughest possible opponent, no matter how adorable a clown he is. Madness breaks out. The love threads are twisted into a Gordian knot, everyone is in love with everyone else - and the sixth hero lover, the prince, has not yet arrived. At the Orpheum, bets are placed on who will be the winner. Taking advantage of the situation, Somossy's enemies also take action, they plan to kill the magician, and the giddy, emotional comedy turns into a blood-thrilling thriller. But the prince still hasn't arrived... Who will win? Are you angry with Somossy? The wife or the lover? Or is the outcome more complicated than that? It turns out after many unexpected turns. All we can say is that one winner is guaranteed: the Hungarian operetta that rose again in the 3rd millennium.
Program and cast
Attila Dolhai: Károly Somossy
Zsolt Homonnay: Károly Somossy
Lóránt Nagy: Károly Somossy
Mónika Fischl: Armina - Somossy's wife
Anita Lukács: Armina - Somossy's wife
Nikolett Füredi: Armina - Somossy's wife
Diána Kiss: Carola Cecília - prima donna
Barbara Bordás: Carola Cecília - prima donna
Éva Lévai Enikő: Carola Cecília - prima donna
Flóra Széles: Bella Ábrándy - young diva
Szilvi Szendy: Bella Ábrándy - young diva
Luca Bojtos: Bella Ábrándy - young diva
Attila Erdős: Zdénkó Lazarovits - magnate from Bácska
Péter Laki: Zdénkó Lazarovits - magnate from Bácska
Viktor Dénes: Zdénkó Lazarovits - magnate from Bácska
Gergely Altsach: Butler - Lazarovits' butler
Ákos Czeglédi: Butler - Lazarovits' butler
István László Czikora: The butler's butler
Imre Roland: The butler's butler
Szabó Gábor Dézsy: Vilmos Rosenzweig - composer, conductor
Lajos Csuha: Vilmos Rosenzweig - composer, conductor
Zoltán Kiss: Miska - head waiter
Károly Peller: Miska - head waiter
Tamás Földes: Maxi - everything from the Orfeum
Ádám Bálint: Maxi - everything from the Orfeum
Attila Bardóczy: Albrecht - Somossy's angry
Sándor György-Rózsa: Albrecht - Somossy's angry
Attila Pálfalvy: Albrecht - Somossy's angry
Attila Németh: Hajós - Somossy's angry
Soma Langer: Shipman - Angry of Somossy
Hristosz Petridisz: Hajós - Somossy's angry
Ottó Magócs: Waldmann - Somossy's angry
Balázs Angler: Waldmann - Somossy's angry
Dénes Kocsis: Leopold Mária Lippert Weilersheim
Péter Dávid Cseh: Leopold Mária Lippert Weilersheim
Tamás Vati: Lautrec
Szabolcs Gombai: Lautrec
Veronika Fekete-Kovács: Lona - Barrison girl
Franciska Lipics (e.h. SZFE): Lona - Barrison girl
Kelemen Fanni: Ethel - Barrison girl
Evelin Drahos: Gertrud - Barrison girl
Flóra Felkai: Inger - Barrison girl
Daniéla Szixtina Paláncz: Olga - Barrison girl
Gergely Altsach: Prince Edward
Ákos Czeglédi: Prince Edward
Boros Misi: Imre Kálmán
Puskás Botond: Imre Kálmán
Conductor: Gyula Pfeiffer, Zsolt Tassonyi
Dénes Orbán János: Written and lyrics
Péter Pejtsik: Music
Kiss-B. Atilla: Lead creator
Gyula Pfeiffer: Musical director
Mónika Szabó: Conductor of choir
József Dreiszker: Light designer
Péter Somfai: Visual effects
Péter Pejtsik: Orchestration
Diána Veréb: Costume designer
Mónika Czár: Assistant choreographer
Zsuzsanna Németh: Assistant choreographer
Márton Lenchés: Assistant director
Bea Nagy: Assistant director
András Tucker: The director's colleague
Attila Ferenczfy-Kovács: Set designer
Krisztina Berzsenyi: Costume designer
Dániel Krizsán: Collaborator of the choreographer
Szabolcs Gombai: Collaborator of the choreographer
Yvette Bozsik: Director-Choreographer
Budapest Operetta Theater
History
The history of the Operetta Theatre begins with the name of Károly Somossy who used to run an Orpheum in the building at 17 Nagymező street since 1884. In 1890 he bought the house and had it transformed into an entertainment house by the Felner and Helmer company, which opened in 1894. Its interior design was exalted by all accounts. Then the venture went bankrupt in 1899, Károly Albrech restaurant keeper took over the operation and from 1902 a Variety Show started to work there with the name of Fővárosi Orfeum, under the management of Imre Waldmann.
The Americal theatre entrepreneur, Ben Blumenthal, after having purchased the Vígszínházm also rented the Orpheum in 1922. The refurbished theatre opened its gates on 23 December 1922 first as Fővárosi Színház, a year later taking up the name of Fővárosi Operett Színház.
From 1929 to 1930 the Fővárosi Művész Színház (Arts Theatre) worked there with leadership of Gyula Kabos. From September 1930 the theatre took up again its old name and was lead by Dezső Sebestyén but it was forced to close several times because of the scanty attendance. From 1936 to 1938 it hosted the Arts Theatre of Artúr Bárdos.
After the siege of Budapest the theatre was opened in march 1945 with the popular operetta by Imre Kálmá, the Csárdáskirálynő. This soon became the biggest Hungarian and international success of the play. The theatre was nationalized in 1949, and Margit Gáspár appointed as director. The general renovation of the building had already been decided in 1960 but it was only realized in the second part of the sixties. In 1966 the company moved into the former building of the Petőfi Theatre, and the reconstruction started according to the plans of the Középüettervező Vállalat (Company of Public Constructions). The designers were: Halmi Iván, Pozsay Csaba és Vajda Ferenc. The festive opening was held on 17 April 1971, again with a staging of Csárdáskirálynő. This was the thousandth performance of Imre Kálmán’s operetta.
Imre Halasi, who used to be the manager of the theatre from 1996 to 2000, changed the name of the theatre form 1. January 1998. Since then it is called Budapesti Operettszínház (Budapest Operetta Theatre). Another reconstruction of the building can be tied to the name of Halasi, the aim of which was the restoration of the original milieu. The designer, Mária Siklós, tried to free the building from the construction errors that got there during the several earlier reconstruction.
In March 2002 a studio theatre for 100 people was inaugurated, the so called Storage Room Theatre situated in the theatre’s wing in Mozsár street.
Architectural description
The unique character the theatre comes from the interesting features of the plot division. The main facade and the entrance of the Budapest Operetta Theatre opens from the Nagymező Street, however the functions of the theatre are built in to the inside courtyards framed by houses between the Andrássy, Nagymező and Mozsár streets. Therefore the mass of the auditorium and the flyloft is not perceptible from the street.
The two-storey mass of the main facade was built at the turn of the century, according to the plans of the famous Viennese theatre designer duo, Ferdinand Fellner and Herman Helmer. The entrance axe is surrounded at the entire height of the building by arched closed pediment. The entrance projection is articulated with two opening axes. The windows on the first floor are squared closed, while those on the second floor are arched. On the attics closing this part of the building on the complete with of the projection stands a lyre indicating the function of the building.
The side wings are articulated with three opening axes and pilasters, which surround the first and second floors. Between the ground and first floor a dividing edge and balusters run around. The first floor openings are arched, while those on the second floor are squared, closed with decorative frame and keystone. The ground floor surface is horizontally pointed. The wall plane of the storeys is punch coloured; the pilasters, the sides, the ornaments and the window frames are white.
The auditorium is fan-shaped with balconies on the first and second floor. The stage is framed with accented proscenium wall and proscenium boxes.
Related events