Jubilee year: The 125-year-old Vígszínház

2021. 04. 28.

125 years ago, on the 1^st of May 1896. Vígszínház opened its doors with the premiere of ‘A Barangok, vagy a peoniai vojvoda’ by Mór Jókai. In the 125 years since, Vígszínház had 1443 premieres, thousands of actors walked on the stage and nearly 50 million spectators could enjoy the performances. In this year of the jubilee Vígszínház is preparing numerous surprises for the audience. The celebration is starting with an online, free stream series with emblematic performances from the past.

The biggest theatre in Hungary was built based on the opulent neo-baroque plans by Fellner and Helmer in the just becoming mega-polis, Budapest. One year after the laying of the foundation-stone, on the 2^nd of April, 1896 the rehearsals for the opening performance could start. Then, on the 1^st of May the first private theatre of Hungary was opened for the audience.

Vígszínház has always been a compass, a point of reference in the Hungarian cultural life and it has been a catalyzer for the theatre life as well. In the past 125 years since the opening, this theatre became an inevitable important factor of our theatrical history, and had been made unforgettable by the legendary works of legendary actors and artists. In the history of the theatre, the first premieres of Hungarian and foreign plays are special milestones, such as the performances holding records, like ‘The Jungle Book’ played more than 1300 times, ‘The attic’ played 999 times or the performance ‘Play it again, Sam!’ which is on the repertoire since 35 years. The most premiered play is Liliom by Ferenc Molnár which was staged 7 times in Vígszínház. The member for the longest time in the theatre is the 93-year-old Liza Szatmári, who is the actress of Vígszínház since 1951, namely 70 years. The biggest records and the unforgettable memories will be recalled by the theatre in numerous ways in the following year. The celebration starts though, adapting to the special situation we are living right now, with an online, one-week long stream series.

The jubilee stream series will start at 7 P.M. on the website of Vígszínház!

1^st of May -  Körmagyar (1989)
2^nd of May – Hat from the court (1965)
3^rd of May - Catsplay (1971)
4^th of May – The Glass Slipper (1978)
5^th of May – Good Evening Summer, Good Evening Love (1977)
6^th of May – Csókos Asszony (1987)
7^th of May – Look Back in Anger (1992)
8^th of May – The Attic (1988)