THE HUNGARIAN THEATRE OF CLUJ IS PERFORMING AT THE 32ND NATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL

The Hungarian Theatre of Cluj will be participating at the 32nd National Theatre Festival in Bucharest. On Thursday, November 10, at 8 pm, Gábor Tompa's staging of Hamlet will be presented at the Ion Caramitru Hall of the I. L. Caragiale National Theatre in Bucharest, while on Friday, November 11, at 8.30 pm, the festival audience will be able to see Eugène Ionesco's absurdist drama Macbett, directed by Silviu Purcărete, likewise at the Ion Caramitru Hall of the National Theatre.

Hamlet is directed by Gábor Tompa, the creative team also including set designer András Both, costume designer Bianca Imelda Jeremias, dramaturg András Visky, composer Vasile Șirli, choreographer Melinda Jakab, video designer András Rancz and Gyopár Bocskai, assistant costume designer. The title role will be played by guest actor Miklós H. Vecsei, with an ensemble cast made up of Ervin Szűcs, Imola Kézdi, Balázs Bodolai, Zsolt Gedő, András Buzási, Ferenc Sinkó, Zsuzsa Tőtszegi, József Bíró, Tamás Kiss, Éva Imre, Anikó Pethő, Szabolcs Balla, Lucian Chirilă, Gizella Kicsid, Venczel Lőrincz-Szabó and Sára Viola.

"The director invited Miklós Vecsei H. to play the title role. The Hungarian actor plays his mission to find out the truth and to unveil the lies of a decaying world with passion and verve. A determined, sometimes impetuous Hamlet, see the scene in which he throws his books out of his intellectual hermit's cell, a man of the moment, yet not surrounded by the jaded aura of romanticism. Gábor Tompa's performance is shocking, a stark and raw alarm about a world out of joint." - writes Roxana Croitoru about Hamlet.

Macbett was directed by Silviu Purcărete, the production’s creative team including set designer Helmut Stürmer, costume designer Lia Manțoc, composer Vasile Șirli, playwright András Visky, assistant to the playwright Kata Demeter, accompanist Péter Kolcsár, and assistant to the costume designer Bogdan Dobre. The title role is portrayed by Zsolt Bogdán, while the cast of the production is made up of: Gábor Viola, Miklós Bács, Andrea Vindis, Áron Dimény, Lóránd Váta, József Bíró, Melinda Kántor, Anikó Pethő, Eszter Román, Szabolcs Balla, Balázs Bodolai, András Buzási, Zsolt Gedő, Tamás Kiss, and Csaba Marosán.

"A masterful performance, which denotes Silviu Purcărete's pleasure to work on stage! Fascinating are his involvement and passion for the construction of each role. It's beyond my comprehension where Purcărete finds such reserves of perfection! A total spectacle, in which the eye delights in looking at the set and admiring the costumes; I can imagine Helmut Stürmer, Lia Manțoc, Vasile Șirli and András Visky putting together ideas and continuously feeding on Silviu Purcărete's ideas! Paradoxically, he, in turn, feeds on the best of each of these has to offer." - wrote Nona Rapotan about Macbett.

The next time Cluj audiences can enjoy Hamlet will be on Thursday, November 17, at 7 pm within the Interferences International Theatre Festival, whereas Macbett will be performed on Monday, November 7, at 7 pm, and then also at the Interferences International Theatre Festival on Sunday, November 20, at 7 pm in the theatre's Main Hall.

Tickets for the Bucharest performances of Hamlet and Macbett are now on sale at www.mystage.ro/fnt, while tickets for the Cluj performances are available at the theatre's ticket office (weekdays between 10 am and 2 pm) and online at www.biletmaster.ro.