Echo 98/2

Lajos Parti Nagy : Ibusár                        Zoltán Ágoston

Jesz, ok

The musical-dancer Ibusár of Parti Nagy is one of the most original writings of the contemporary hungarian theatrical literature. During his activities the author of the text has created such an own language, wich is  unique in the lyric poetry of our days, and wich has an important role in this performance, too. But for the functioning of this language on stage, the finding of the best dramatic form. Parti Nagy found the genre of the operetta, and as a parody of it, in Ibusár, in a "medium dirty rural railwaystation" the story is taking shape.
The performance of the Janus University Theather directed by János Mikuli lets the language of the author live as it is required, and does not try to lead the performance toward representing "social reality" excessively, or to degrade it to bare joking. Actors enjoy their roles visibly, also in the cases of  less roles. In the interpertation of Mikuli due to the mergering of the roles the hopeless realitic world  and the operetta-dreamworld of  Jolán  become  more effective, the stage moving more energetic and the construction of the performance tighter. We are citizens of two worlds, was said by Kant. Jolán Sárbogárdi is suffering of it, the confusion of the unsuccessful woman writer and the ticket collector at the railwaystation. Lilian Nagy plays this role (with the role of princess Amália) persuasively without sentimentalism. Éva Füsti Molnár acts excellently the mother, who worries for her doughter, but also like to help in her real prosperity
- through the marriage with the head of the station. András Ernő Tóth is almost floating in the fitting role of Guszti Vargányai, the head of the station and the wicked  count Talpighy, inducing the audience to lough with both characters. Also memorable the play of Csaba Horváth as the honey-cake hussarcaptain Richard Bajkállóy and the provincial petty guy, Ferenc Köles as duke Leopold and railwayman Pál Jénai, as well as András Fekete as old hussar.
The music of the performance needs to get some private words, the great work of Ferenc Darvasi. Zsófia Herczig's set is  rather signalworth, and not  too naturalistic neither in the world of Ibusár. The  space is a bit narrow at first sight, but soon it is getting clear, that the narrow, long space is suitable for the forming of the platform.
It is praiseworthy, that the Janus University Theather is walking in the direction of the contemporary hungarian literature, and not on the old  beaten track. The performance Ibusár is not only a attempt on this way. Due to the prformance the audience got into defendless position: laughed it's head off.