Zoltán Kodály

Johnny Háry

MVM Piccolo Programme

mix SingspielChildren's performance 4
, –
Eiffel Art Studios – Miklós Bánffy Stage
Running time without intervals

Language Hungarian

How can the hair-raising adventures of General János Háry still speak meaningfully to today’s young audiences in an age flooded with AI-generated content and misinformation? This question is answered with freshness and humour by the children's production Johnny Háry launching the Háry100 commemorative series. Based on Zoltán Kodály’s legendary singspiel, the adaptation by Ádám Dávid, author of numerous children’s books and verse tales, brings the classic story closer to young viewers. Its engaging frame story and sparkling poetic interludes are brought to life by director Mária Harangi, head artistic assistant of the Hungarian State Opera, under the musical direction of Nikolett Hajzer, chorus director of the Children’s Chorus. The production fits naturally into the youth repertoire developed in recent years, after such works as The Valiant Johnny, The Stubborn Princess, Stephen, the King (Junior), The Little Sweep, and Hungarian Christmas, all of which have been staged at either the Opera House or the Eiffel Art Studios. This time, the brand-new model production featuring a hundred-member chorus is presented at the Miklós Bánffy Stage.

Rights of Zoltán Kodály were brokered by the Hartai Music Agency.

Media

Reviews

“In the story being evoked, the characters speak in verse, which can be a double-edged sword. Here, however, its very artificiality serves to remind us that we are not in the realm of reality. At the same time, the lines by Ádám Dávid cleverly conceal the fact that the performers are not particularly experienced in stage speech. The visual world of the production works brilliantly, too, particularly the stylised costumes and props made of brown cardboard (or at least designed to look like it), which distinguish the more faded past from the vivid present. (The production was designed by Gábor Michac.) Director Mária Harangi skilfully handles the members of the children’s chorus, the young performers in the leading roles, the rest of the class and the larger group who appear only in the crowd scenes. And the children are all outstanding: it is almost unbelievable how confidently they sing (including demanding solo parts!), speak, act and dance.”
Kata Kondor, Fidelio