Bereczky Erzsébet (szerk.): Imre Madách: The Tragedy of Man. Essays about the ideas and the directing of the Drama (Budapest, 1985)
György Lengyel: Two Tragedy Production
did not permit emphasis on the historical authenticity of the individual scenes; we did not want the Tragedy to crumble into a sequence of mini-dramas. The visualisation of the crowd on the scene was greatly facilitated by Emil Petrovics’s music built on the sound-effects of Oriental plays. This helped to convey our conception of the masses on the scene: instead of chorus or excessive naturalism, it emphasised block-like unity. In autumn 1982 we had the epportunity for a second cast and, simultaneously, for a re-thinking of the production. The new production meant some new scenery, and I think that this new version expresses even more unambiguously the dream-like, visionary quality of the drama. From the mystery play character I retained the personification of God and the appearance of the Angels. Their presence in the Eden scene is indicated according to Madách’s instruction: the gate to Heaven is open. If some day a production would hit on a more feverish, bitter and tenser style of playing, recalling Liszt in his later period and Béla Bartók, then it will be closer to the real interpretation of Madách’s dark and profound poetry. When putting down these thoughts I tried to mention some of the doubts and problems I troubled with now, past youth’s uninhibited temerity and having reached the age of inquiring experimentation. And while past and present are fusing together I feel an increased inclination for a new start in directing the Tragedy. (1983) 66
