SOLNESS “The luck will turn. I know it – I feel the day approaching. Someone or other will take it into his head to say: Give me a chance! And then all the rest will come clamouring after him, and shake their fists at me and shout: Make room – make room –! Yes, just you see, doctor – presently the younger generation will come knocking at my door –”(Quote from the play)
“Forever relevant,” we said laughing when talking about Ibsen at home. Rather only us, the younger ones laughed, since our parents’ and grandparents’ generation absolutely did not put this phrase in quotation marks. For them, Ibsen was truly forever relevant. He is challenging crucial problems, he is provocative and controversial, after nearly a century, in spite of the statues, the canonisations, the modernism, the countless school essays and constant theatre plays. But how much does the writer, who is claimed by our literature teachers to be provocative, provoke us? How important, controversial and hyper-relevant are those works that are admired by our grandfathers? (Pernille Rygg: Forever relevant, ha ha ha!)
As Solness is played by the theatre’s director, Pál Mácsai, who is now about Solness’s age and who is clearly constantly preoccupied with the question of how to continue Örkény’s work and the idea of rejuvenation, it is obvious that the production should also reflect on this parallel. And so it does: in a scene from the second act, a short film is assembled from Mácsai’s family archives and his famous, oft-quoted Petőfi recitation at the Hiszünk and dalban concert (We believe in song) in the Budapest Sport Hall in spring 1994, to which Solness reacts, perceptibly partly as Mácsai, in a highly self-deprecating manner. Ildikó Gáspár’s production is a tense, energetic play that keeps the audience in suspense throughout. And it is not even primarily about the tragic consequences of life’s falsehoods so common in Ibsen adaptations, but rather about the possibility of transcending oneself.
– LILLA TURBULY, Kútszélistílus.hu
Ildikó Gáspár has created a bold and original production about the successful and acclaimed master builder Solness, who is torn between his narcissism and his fear of the young colleague who could take his place. The production cleverly balances the director’s interpretation of Ibsen’s well-known play and its retelling and experiencing as a personal story: Solness’ part is played by Pál Mácsai, the director of the theatre, while the character of Ragnar, his talented draftsman, is performed by Csaba Polgár, the recently appointed artistic director of the theatre’s studio space.
– KAMELIA NIKOLOVA, Critical Stages
ILDIKÓ GÁSPÁR is a Hungarian theatre director working for the István Örkény Theatre in Budapest, an inspiring and important stage in the capital city. She has also directed productions in other European countries, including Germany, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Serbia. She believes that every topic has a unique inherent character and she always tries to find a distinctive form for the production. Her work is typical for its playfulness and spontaneity of action, a consistent and rigorous structure and an intense visuality so essential for any production. At the István Örkény Theatre she has staged Horváth’s Faith, hope, and charity, Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Racine’s Andromaque and many other plays.
ÖRKÉNY SZÍNHÁZ (István Örkény Theatre) is one of Hungary’s leading theatres, focused primarily on drama but venturing into all sorts of genres. It has staged more than a hundred productions since its foundation, ranging from Greek tragedies to contemporary plays. The theatre focuses on high-quality repertoire, employing the elements of humour, irony and grotesque. Ten years ago, the theatre was one of the first in Hungary to launch a drama education programme, opening a new channel for active and socially engaged interaction with the audience.
