Budapest National Theatre’s Production of “The Boy Who Turned Into a Deer” Shown in Paris

The joint performance of Budapest National Theatre and Illyés Gyula Theatre from Beregszász, A szarvassá változott fiú (The Boy Who Turned Into a Deer) directed by Attila Vidnyánszky, current head of the Hungarian National Theatre, had a huge success at one of the most important theatrical festivals in Paris. It was the 20th Festival de l’maginaire. Attila Vidnyánszky’s company performed the play, based on the surrealist poem of Ferenc Juhász, in a special way.

The play is based on a surrealist poem by Hungarian poet Ferenc Juhász, and is currently a part of the official repertoire of the National Theatre. It is a strange and intriguing mix of folk ballad, Greek tragedy, moving theatre; according to the National Theatre, it is the tale of:

“A broken mother, aged by pain, who awaits the return of her son to the safety of his childhood home. The boy is on a great journey, however, and he would like to pass through the ‘gate of secrets,’ for he can sense the meaning and truths of his existence on the other side. His mother tries to draw him home with old memories, familiar aromas, flavors, dances and stories, and by bring up the memory of his dead father; all in vain, as the boy cannot return home. He desires knowledge of himself, a goal which can only be achieved if he forgets his own self, if he “transforms into a stag.” The boy transformed into a stag travels from the roots of the earth to the edges of the universe, across cities bathed in gasoline and artificial light, while images of his village home continuously come to mind.”

The play was shown in a unique fashion, with some parts coming from Director Vidnyánszky’s film version of the play, and some parts being performed live. The main roles are played by Zsolt Trill, Mari Törőcsik, Nelli Szűcs, Attila Kristán, József Rácz, László Tóth and Attila Vidnyánszky jr. The troupe was celebrated with a long ovation after the performance.

“A szarvassá változott fiú” (The Boy Who Turned Into a Deer) directed by Attila Vidnyánszky. Budapest National Theatre. Photo credit The Magyar Nemzeti Szinház

Théâtre de l’Atelier is one of the most well-known theatres in Paris, led by the great theatre director Didier Long. Fanny Ardant played here, among many others. John Malkovich directed the theatrical version of Dangerous Liaisons here as well. Patrice Chéreau, one of the greatest theatre directors, also directed here. The Cat by Georges Simenon was on recently with Myriam Boyer and Jean Benguigui. Adonis, the world famous Syrian-French poet, who is said to be one of the greatest potential winners of The Nobel Prize in Literature in the last years, attended the premiere in Paris.

This story originally posted at DailyNewsHUngary. Reposted with permission. Read original post here.