William Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice

Hungarian translation: Ádám Nádasdy

Main stage
RO
EN
14+
2h 45' with intermission (part I.: 1h 45', part II.: 45')

Antonio
Gábor Viola / Zsolt Bogdán
 
Bassanio
Balázs Bodolai
 
Gratiano
Ervin Szűcs
 
Salerio
Loránd Farkas
 
Solanio
Szabolcs Balla
 
Lorenzo
Péter Árus
 
Shylock
Zsolt Bogdán / Gábor Viola
 
Jessica
Éva Imre
 
Portia / Balthasar
Enikő Györgyjakab / Andrea Vindis
 
Nerissa / The secretary of Balthasar
Csilla Albert
 
Stephano
Alpár Fogarasi
 
Launcelot Gobbo
Csaba Marosán
 
Old Gobbo
Attila Orbán
 
Tubal
Róbert Laczkó Vass
 
The Prince of Morocco
Lóránd Váta
 
The Prince of Arragon
Ferenc Sinkó / Paco Alfonsín
 
The Duke
Áron Dimény
 
Other parts
Melinda Kántor , János Platz
 
Bodyguards to the Prince of Morocco
Melinda Kántor , Andrea Vindis / Enikő Györgyjakab

directed by
Gábor Tompa
 
set and costume design
Dragoș Buhagiar
 
dramaturg
András Visky
 
director's assistant
Botond Nagy , Emőke Veres
 
video images
András Rancz
 
light design
László Erőss
 
costume assistant
Gyopár Bocskai
 
live music
Loránd Farkas , Szabolcs Balla , Ervin Szűcs
 
choreography
Enikő Györgyjakab , Paco Alfonsín
 
Elocution technique
Márta Papp
 
stage manager
Emőke Veres , Réka Zongor
Date of the opening: September 28, 2018

The Merchant of Venice is a comedy about the blithely diffused struggle between Usury and Friendship, Revenge and Forgiveness, Disharmony and Harmony. (...) Fairy tale, dark comedy, moral parable or comedy dell'arte? The raw material gathered unconsciously within Shakespeare, only the stage master who intertwines the situations presented is conscious. But the craftsman is also a poet, and the enchanted raw material reflects the fullness of life, even when he does not want us to take it too seriously.

László Cs. Szabó: Velencei uzsora, belmonti muzsika /Venetian usury, belmontian music
 

The show takes place in the cold world of modern technology, where, in contrast, passions run high. Passions that point, first of all, toward narcissism and selfishness. At the same time, these characters are also prisoners of certain aspects of their own lives.

Nobody chooses to give up everything, or to say he or she is not interested in money. They all act according to their own interest, everything being manipulated by a complex network of interests and alliances. Of course, each character bears strong, sincere emotions; there is sex, love, eroticism. But the characters do not decide based on these. They only temporarily believe these things to be more important. Selfishness and self-interest interfere in all decisions reached. If we reflect on this idea, we can create a terribly cruel theatre. Of course, with elements of comedy, with comic situations, but essentially a greedy, cruel chase after “immortality”, survival or happiness.

Gábor Tompa