03. 01. 2019

THE HUNGARIAN THEATRE OF CLUJ CELEBRATES THE 150TH PERFORMANCE OF UNCLE VANYA

On the evening of January 6, at 7 pm, the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj will perform Chekov’s Uncle Vanya for the 150th time. The highly successful production directed by Andrei Șerban, which premiered in 2007, is currently its 11th season run.

The title role of the production is played by Gábor Viola, while the cast includes József Bíró, Imola Kézdi, Enikő Györgyjakab, Anikó Pethő, Csilla Albert, Emőke Kató, Réka Csutak, Zsolt Bogdán, Attila Orbán, Ferenc Sinkó and Csilla Varga. The text of the performance was translated into Hungarian by Zsuzsánna Koros Fekete, based on Paul Schmidt’s English version. Assistant to the Director: Attila Keresztes, playwright: Kinga Kelemen, set and costume designer: Carmencita Brojboiu.

Director Andrei Șerban stated the following after the 100th performance: “Every staging is a gamble. One never knows what the end result will be. I directed Uncle Vanya three times: in New York, Cluj-Napoca and St. Petersburg, always differently. The performance was well received everywhere, but nowhere as well as in Cluj.”

Oltiţa Cântec wrote the following in the Teatrul Azi magazine concerning the production that was featured both on the Budapest stage, as well as at the National Theater Festival (FNT): “An outstanding performance from every standpoint, an ingenious way of using the space of the stage, an innovative reading of Chekhov’s text, a completely justified, original reinterpretation of the characters, and flawless acting. The first thing that impresses us is the creative manner in which Andrei Şerban masters the theatrical space, its architecture and the stage-technique. The actors are everywhere and the space of the hall is utilized in all directions. Nothing is as expected; we find ourselves to be constantly surprised by what is offered to us.“

In 2007, Uncle Vanya won the Romanian Association of Theatre Artists’ (UNITER) awards for Best Performance of 2007, Best Director (Andrei Şerban), Best Actor in a Leading Role (András Hatházi), and the Theatre Critics’ Award in Hungary for the Best Performance of the 2007/2008 season.

Tickets can be purchased at the theatre's ticket office and online at www.biletmaster.ro.