Premiere: October 11, 2024.
Csokonai Theatre
If back in 1982, reporter-turned-playwright Michael Frayn hadn’t almost fallen asleep at a theater performance directed by one of his friends, the world would be poorer by one hilarious comedy. It was then that Frayn realized: how much more exciting the theater can be from behind the scenes than from the front, and so a play should be written that takes the audience behind the courtains. Namely, in the first act, after a disastrous main rehearsal of a production going on a country tour – during which not only the actors but also the director collapses – the second act lets the audience peek behind the curtain during the final stop of the tour, witnessing the scandalous details from the back. At this point, not only the professional problems come to light, but also the personal anomalies of the characters, highlighting how much an artist’s unsettled soul can impact their evening performance.
The popular comedy was adapted to film in 1992, and it has been played continuously ever since on stages both in Hungary and around the world.
Director: Horváth Illés