Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz’s piece Operetta is all about deception in the world of theatre. It’s a sharp, witty and sexually-charged play, which ultimately parodies the world of operettas. The play was first performed in 1969 in Italy, shortly after Mr. Gombrowicz’s death. In 1966, Mr. Gombrowicz had the following to say about the world of the performing arts:
“Theater is a deceptive thing, it tempts one to be trenchant. How much easier it seems it would be to get to the end of a play than to finish a many-paged novel! But the minute you allow yourself to be drawn into all the traps of this disgusting, awkward form—when the imagination feels overcome by the weight of the people on stage, with the awkwardness of the ‘real’ man who makes the floorboards creak … when you understand that you have to affix wings to this burden, to change it into a sign, fable, art… bah, then one version after another ends up in the wastebasket and this trifle in several acts begin to swell with the months of your life.”
Operetta opened in Budapest on September 5th, 2014 at the Nemzeti Színház (National Theatre). It was directed by Andrzej Bubien and stars Dávid Szatory, Zsolt Trill and Ildikó Bánsági. It plays on September 6th, as well as September 11th, October 5th, 17th and 25th.
Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely.)
Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely.)
Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely)
Stomping grounds. Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely.)
Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely.)
Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely.)
Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely.)
Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely.)
Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely.)
Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely.)
Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely.)
Operetta – a parody of operettas in Budapest’s Nemzeti Színház. (Photo: Beatrix Gergely.)
