Premiere: 16 January 2026
Csokonai Theatre
It is a little-known fact that at the premiere of the musical play John the Valiant in 1904,
actress Sári Fedák did not play the role of Iluska, which was originally offered to her, but rather – after familiarizing the music of the play and the libretto of the incredibly creative duo Károly Bakonyi and Jenő Heltai – she was only willing to take on the role of Corn-cob Johnny, or John the Valiant, in trouser pants.
On this occasion, the Csokonai National Theater cannot guarantee that a woman will play the male protagonist, yet it can guarantee that the musical stage adaptation of Sándor Petőfi’s
classic narrative poem will whisk Iluska, Johnny, and Bagó, the former rival-turned friend all the way to France, Fairyland and back, providing audiences with a magical experience. The focus of the story remains the same: the kind of love that transcends borders and survives beyond the grave – told in the eternal language of fairy tales.
Directed by: Mária Harangi
