Budapest’s iconic National Theater will soon be opening its doors to English-speaking audiences on a regular basis. With two Shakespeare performances and the French Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac on the agenda, the theater is catering for an ever-increasing number of spectators keen on watching drama in English. The building’s handy location on scenic tram line 2 also makes for a pleasant trip. Tickets for Shakespeare classic A Midsummer Night's Dream have already sold out. Performed in Hungarian with English surtitles, the comedy has been adapted for the stage by Georgian director David Doiashvili.
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Having been featured at the National Theater since 2004, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare enjoys continuing success in Budapest, entirely performed in English. This abridged spectacle parodies Shakespeare's plays with the stories being performed by only three actors. Tickets have already been taken for all of the three upcoming shows on March 3rd and 4th.
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Tickets are still available for Cyrano de Bergerac, showing on March 21st at 7pm. The romantic piece written in verse is a fictionalization of Bergerac’s life, a 17th-century novelist in France known for his many talents and – as the writer allegedly saw himself – large nose which keeps him from fulfilling his love with his distant cousin, the beautiful Roxanne. However, in this production adapted by the same Doiashvili who also worked on the Shakespeare play, Cyrano is presented without an exaggerated nose, while Roxanne’s character is played by five actresses, who all appear onstage at the same time. The play will be performed in Hungarian with English surtitles.
During spring, the annual Madách International Theater Meeting attracts troupes from around the world to Hungary’s capital. Taking place at the National Theater between April 10th and 29th, ensembles from Estonia to India will be presenting drama of every stripe. Antigone by Sophocles provides the motto of this year’s festival: “I was born to share love, not hate”. English-friendly performances include Oedipus Rex from Russia, The Tin Drum from Germany, Scotsman William Boyd’s Longing from Estonia, the Belgian Body Revolution inspired by the events initiating the Arab Spring, the Italian Pinocchio, the Hungarian Bánk Bán and many other crowd-pleasing shows.
While many of these performances have already been fully booked, tickets to some festival shows are still available at the theater box office, at Ticket Office (Andrássy út 28) and on the event's website.