On 23rd of February, Bluebeard premiers in the Operetta Theatre!

The story of Bluebeard is a fairytale like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. The story of a rich man hungry for more power, who keeps murdering his wives. There are various literary and musical adaptations, including a cartoon, but the most famous version is definitely Bartók?s one-act opera. But our viewers don?t have to prepare for a bloody and morbid drama, instead they can expect to laugh until their sides are sore, since the adaptation we perform from the 23rd of February is a comedy sparkling with wit.

Jacques Offenbach is one of the most popular French composers, who earned the moniker ?Mozart of the Champs-Élysées?. His compositions represented the comic side of opera, and he popularised the term operetta (little opera) as well, so we might as well say we owe our theatre?s name to him. Unfortunately, his works rarely show up in Hungarian theatres, so it?s high time we fixed that. The first conductor of our theatre, Dinyés Dániel will help bring one of the French master?s most entertaining works to Hungarian audiences. And to bring the story closer to a modern audience, the plot which originally took place in a kingdom full of knights and shepherds has been transplanted to the corporate milieu of the 1950ies. In the text re-worked by Szabó-Székely Ármin, Lőrinczy Attila and Székely Kriszta, with hilarious lyrics by Máthé Zsolt, corporate employees are embroiled in intrigues with pretty secretaries and cunning assistants, and it?s possible that the pizza delivery boy is a prince in disguise. This story of lust for power and complex love stories is transformed into a refreshing comedy. And if any unanswered questions remain, the performance itself will answer them.

Székely Kriszta, the award-winning young director said starting rehearsals on Bluebeard last December was a dream come true. In her last year at the Academy of Film and Theatre Arts, her professor Székely Gábor asked the whole class about the plays they really wished to direct during their career. After the almost compulsory mentions of Shakespeare and Chekov, Kriszta said that at some point, she?d absolutely want to direct an operetta. ?I was dead serious, but I don?t know if anyone else took it seriously. I am inspired the challenge of refreshing and renewing a genre with such strong and ancient traditions, and doing it in a way that doesn?t alienate operetta lovers, but gives them an even better theatrical experience.?

It?s not just the direction that holds surprises, the casting does as well. Szacsvay László, the Jászai Mari award-winning performer of Katona József Theatre is our guest in the role of Senator Bobeche, sharing the role with a member of our ensemble, Csuha Lajos. As part of our cooperation with the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, various current members of the Academy play crucial roles in the performance. Bojtos Luca is introduced as Fleurette, sharing the role with a young talent in our company, Kardffy Aisha. Erdős Attila takes on the role of Bluebeard?s personal secretary, as does Peller Károly, a lead soloist of our theatre. Lusine Sahakyan embodies Boulotte, the cleaning lady, the role she shres with our prima donna Borbás Barbara. The title role is traded between two leading classical tenors of our theatre, Boncsér Gergely and Vadász Zsolt. Oscar, the senator?s advisor are Langer Soma and Kendi Ludovik, while Clémentine, the senator?s wife is played by two grande dames of the operetta genre, Kállay Bori and Kalocsai Zsuzsa. Saphir?s role is performed by Veréb Tamás as Dolhai Attila, the former is playing his first operetta role, having focused on musicals so far despite a degree in classical singing.

Choreographer Kulcsár Noémi, the department head at Academy of Dance Arts is new to the Operetta Theatre, as is Balázs Juli set designer, who routinely works with Bodó Viktor, or Máthé Zsolt, the creator of the new lyrics who?s better known for his work with the Örkény István theatre. The costume designer is Pattantyus Dóra, who has worked with Székely Kriszta in Creative Connections, and Bányai Tamás is responsible for lighting. Our choir director is Szabó Mónika, and the other conductor in addition to Dinyés Dániel is Silló István.