Vígszínház
The Vígszínház ("Víg"; German: "Comedy Theater") was built at the turn of the century in 1900 in Budapest .
The theater was very popular with the Budapest bourgeoisie at the time, as its modernity offered a change from the conservative national theater . In 1967 the Pesti Színház ("Pest Theater") belonging to Vígszínház was opened with 560 seats in Váci utca .
The building
The architects Ferdinand Fellner the Younger and Hermann Helmer were involved in the planning of 47 theater buildings in Europe. The theater was built in the style of late historicism within a year in 1896 . It imitates typical elements of the baroque . Behind the new building there was still a swamp area, but a new center of the Budapest bourgeoisie, the Lipótváros ("Leopoldstadt"), quickly developed there . The building is characterized by three parts: the high wing in which the stage is housed, the lower auditorium and the porch with the dome. The internal structure of the building differs from other theater buildings from the turn of the century. It represents the demands of the rising middle class. Several stairs lead from the richly decorated and gilded vestibule to the audience hall on the first floor. The social hierarchy is reflected in the internal structure. The foyer on the first floor offers space for exclusive parties. The auditorium is made up of triple boxes. Atlases take the place of columns. Again, there are many gold decorations that support the interior lighting.
The building was damaged by bombs in the Battle of Budapest at the end of World War II . It was rebuilt after the war and opened in 1951 under the name Magyar Néphadsereg Színháza ("Theater of the Hungarian People's Army"). It got its original name back in 1961. In 1994 the building was completely restored.
Performances
The public and the press did not understand the world premiere of Liliom by Ferenc Molnár on December 7, 1909.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Hungarian musicals were shown alongside contemporary domestic and foreign premieres . This includes the following pieces, some of which are part of the permanent repertoire:
- Képzelt riport egy amerikai popfesztiválról ("Fictitious report on an American pop festival") by Tibor Déry and Locomotiv GT (1972)
- Harmincéves vagyok ("I am thirty years old") by Anna Adamis and Gábor Presser (1975)
- Jó estét nyár, jó estét szerelem ("Good night summer, good evening love")
- A Kőműves Kelemen , based on an old folk legend about the construction of the Deva Castle
- A Padlás ("The attic")
- Játszd újra, Sam! ("Play it again, Sam!")
Since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a noticeable tendency that larger theaters mainly serve as musical stages due to falling visitor numbers. Contrary to this trend, the Vígszínház has high visitor numbers. This is also thanks to the director László Marton , who has been working at the theater since 1979 , who also achieved international fame with Chekhov productions.
Web links
- Vígszínház. Retrieved November 26, 2008 (German, Hungarian, English, official website of the theater).
- Gábor Lakos: Walks Budapest. March 23, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008 .
Remarks
- ↑ The titles in brackets are - with the exception of Déry's "Report" - freely translated and do not correspond to any German versions of the pieces mentioned
Coordinates: 47 ° 30 ′ 45 ″ N , 19 ° 3 ′ 5 ″ E