Magyar Egyház, 2001 (80. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2001 / 3. szám
14. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ NEWS FROM OUR CONGREGATIONS — EGYHÁZI HÍREK — ISTVÁN, A KIRÁLY STEPHEN, THE KING For the first time ever, Hungary’s longestrunning rock opera musical came to the United States and Canada. “Stephen, the King”, a play surrounding the events leading to Stephen’s coronation as Hungary’s first Christian king in 1000 AD and his rivalry with Koppány, who represented the ancient Hungarian religion, toured 17 cities in the United States and Canada between October and November. The exceptional 12-member cast are all under 25 and are members of Budapest’s Vasutas Musical Studio, which is famous for contributing actors to Hungary’s most outstanding musicals. Written by Levente Szörényi and Janos Brody, since 1983 the play has been running continuously in Hungary to full houses and tremendous ovation at the Nemzeti (National) Theater and other popular theaters, in Budapest. It has also toured countries surrounding Hungary, containing Hungarian minorities, as well as select West European cities, including performances at Seville’ Expo ’92 in Spain. In 1984, a movie was made of the play’s opentheater version, and was later transmitted on cable television, reaching over 10 million viewers. “Stephen the King” is not only the first Hungarian historical rock opera, but it is Hungary’s top musical; not even “Attila” has come close to it. In addition, over 1 million CDs have been sold of the musical score, a combination of Hungarian folk and rock music. In Budapest, an average of 100 actors make up this musical, and in the summer, it is presented in an open theater at Heroes’ Square, with over 1,000 actors, and 250 horses. The cast of the original presentation was made up of popular rock band singers, and it was their first opportunity to act in a play and on film to a very wide audience. In addition, when the play first appeared in Hungary, audiences were quite surprised at its religious and nationalistic theme, since at the time the communist government was in power. During its North American tour, the large production was reduced to only 12 actors. Nevertheless, that did not detract from the professionalism and excellence of the musical. The Vasutas Musical Group, which also performs the “Godspell” in Hungary, was trained by Hungary’s best music teacher “Maria Toldy (Mrs. Maria Malek), Hungarian star of the 60s, who studied musical production in London. One of the most touching moments of the play is the ending. The actors line up on stage and roll out a large Hungarian flag sideways among each other, followed by the singing of the Hungarian national anthem. Though the anthem was not originally part of the play in 1983, audiences in Hungary were so moved by the patriotic story that they spontaneously sprang to their feet and sang the hymn. Since then, it has been written into the play. The tour’s itinerary included performances in Sarasota (FL), Miami, (FL. at the Kossuth Club), Fairfield (CT), Passaic (NJ), New Brunswick (NJ), Boston (MA), Montreal (Canada), Toronto (Canada), Cleveland (OH), Chicago (IL), Denver (CO), San Francisco (CA), Los Angeles (CA), Laguna (CA), Phoenix (AZ), and in New York City. The tour is in memory of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, and CDs of the play are on sale after each performance. When we asked members of the cast in Miami to share impressions of their visit to the US, Somogyi Szilard (“Abbot Astrik”) said that he was very touched to see that “People can proclaim their Hungarian identity abroad”. István Csiszár, who plays “St. Stephen”, said he was very aware of Hungary’s past greatness and history, and has visited the Hungarian Crown exhibited in Budapest’s Parliament several times. In Miami, the actors were invited to the Blue Duna Hungarian Restaurant after the play, and looked forward to spending a whole day in Miami Beach. Terez Szent-Miklosy, Miami ^ ^ üTv VW'Tv H H MIAMI, FLORIDA Lelkipásztor: Lukácsi László és Eva 2236 Mindszenthy (NW 14th) Street, Miami, Florida 33125 Telefon: (305) 638-1631, Fax: (305) 638-4595 Az idén Isten kegyelméből csendesen és békében folyt az élet, nem sejtettük, hogy a megszokott biztonságnak és szabadságélménynek hamar vége szakad. Most megrendültén és szívünkben imádsággal élünk a jelenben, mely
