A Village without Men
Ödön von Horváth
Ödön von Horváth’s presents the time during early Matthias Corvinus’ reign: the young king is opposing the debauched lifestyle of his noblemen and tries to build a more just world, in pure Renaissance style. The performance, as well as the text, has multiple layers: we see the treachery of court life and the immorality of noblemen. But this is not the most important line of action. Only love can guide us on the road to rebirth. Where do women from Săliștea find the courage to ask the king in person for their men? Why do these women play the rough male game? As there are no women without men, there are no men without women. They can truly exist only to complete the other, which gives them strength for seemingly extraordinary actions. The end of this story is a positive one: women in Săliștea receive 300 men. The road is a long one, it sometimes makes us smile and other times it makes us sad, but it always takes us deep beyond the surface. We are witnessing noble actions, but we never sing odes of joy to Matthias Corvinus: we know the human side of the king. We see him meeting the Woman: true love passes him by, while he’s watching the sad nuptial dance of happy couples.
Dramaturgy: Kádár-Dombi Katalin
Set and costume design: Török Viola
Music, coregraphy: Könczei Árpád
Cast:
Matthias Corvinus: Balázs Attila
Count of Sibiu: Kiss Attila
Palatine: Mátray László
Servant at the court: Mátyás Zsolt Imre
Lieutenant: Aszalos Géza
Bath boy: Bandi Andras Zsolt
Toma: Kocsárdi Levente
Guard: László Pecka Péter
Skinny, first comedian, first nobleman: Dukász Péter
Beardo, second comedian, secod nobleman: Higyed Imre
The Blonde: Szilágyi Ágota
The Brunette: Lőrincz Rita
The Red-Haired: Tankó Erika
Girls: Borbély B. Emilia, Szalma Hajnalka, Tar Mónika
Women from Săliștea: Szász Eniko, Mátray Edith, Ferenczy Annamária, Fall Ilona