We can watch on the base of Maladype Szabolcs Hajdu’s play, which he has completed (alone or he has written it together with the other actors). The performers are – mostly – those, who has known from the director-actor’s films too. However, during eight days, I have watched eleven performances, I have been burdened very much by those performances, which have not been written, so it was totally irrational to watch another one, but the temptation was so strong. I would like to watch these actors live so much (for example: Orsolya Török-Illyés, Domokos Szabó) that I went, however I knew I had time only for a superficial note. Who loves Szabolcs Hajdu’s films, those should not leave this possibility out. I would like to raise attention to it. It will be an OFFER.

The performance is played in one part, about sixty people are sitting on the two sides of the big room of Maladype. There is a big table in the middle, it is all similar to a living room of a great civilian flat in Budapest. The performance happens in one place. We are at the Wolf’s. Szabolcs Hajdu and Orsolya Török-Illyés are the couple, their child, Bruno is Imre Gelányi. The wife’s sister (Erika Tankó) arrives suddenly to them, her husband is Albert (Domokos Szabó) and their daughter (Ágota Szilágyi). Most of the dialogues are from everyday life, the scale of actions is not so extraordinary. Only some tiny things show us, that we are in a theatre (on the chairs, tables there are sewed up clothes, which we do not usually see, and if we look around there are fifty other people around us). Set designer: Emese Moroncsik, costume designer: István Márton Szabó.

The characters are speaking in various couples, two women, two men, the couple together and alone, together with the children and without them. Meanwhile we are sitting calmly and learn about the ordinary problems of the two families, many of them, must have weighed on many members of the viewers too. They are talking about the cost of living crisis of everyday life, the lack of money, the problem of relationships, the possibility of moving abroad (its choice or rejection), the problem of flats and the questions of children upbringing. These all appear, as they have been discussed on a playground with our closer acquaintances. One of them states about the other one’s life: “We should need a little bit more drive.” It may be true in connection with our all lives. But it may be good as it is, we should not need to rush anywhere. After the performance we can decide it alone.

The questions are actual, crucial, and they are less separated from our lives – Ernella’s and Wolf’s can be one of us, they can be ordinary people too. It becomes more serious, because the actors speak totally naturally, authentically as any human being would do it. While I was watching and listening to them, I have remembered Szabolcs Hajdu’s films (for example: Tamara). While I was watching them I could experience the slowing down of time. It was good that way, it was natural as I was sitting on the bench and I faced up with the questions.

The real art – as we all know it well – makes us face up with our own life. It holds a mirror. Now I have to duck, some sentences have such a big effect on me, especially those, which deal with the bringing up of children. Because it is really good to me, that I am able to watch performances and then write this blog, but meanwhile I always miss something, for example, because of the performances in Miskolc, the day before I did not see my son... Yes, it happens. But I should not have missed the performance anyway, even in spite of the sense of guilt, which was brought up by it. You should watch it too!

Zsuzsanna Makk, Mezei néző blog, 2015

(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)