Performing to a packed house at the Bulandra Theatre, the Harag György Company

The Harag György Company performed on Wednesday to a full house in Bucharest, on the stage of the renowned Bulandra Theatre. In the capital of Romania – and one of the country’s most important artist theatres, which is the only Romanian member of the European Theatre Union – every seat was taken by spectators interested in The Master and Margarita from Satu Mare.

The interest of both Romanian- and Hungarian-speaking audiences was not surprising, as director Sardar Tagirovsky had already become familiar to them through productions such as Rasputin and Misanthrope, or The Staging of the Showcase. In addition, the Satu Mare company enjoys an excellent reputation among theatre lovers in the Romanian capital, and the UNITER awards for this year’s Richard III have made it even more widely known and respected.

Mikhail Bulgakov’s cult novel is a troubled, unfinished work that was only published long after the author’s death, in 1966. Since then, however, it has remained immensely popular and is regarded as one of world literature’s major works, as well as the author’s most mysterious creation, interpreted and adapted in many different ways.

The Harag György Company’s adaptation was highly anticipated, and in the theatre lobby after the performance numerous conversations emerged about the experience of the text and the expectations surrounding the production.
After the performance, it can be said that The Master and Margarita captivated the audience, which rewarded the performance with a standing ovation and enthusiastic applause immediately after the curtain call. The actors “endured” the prolonged applause and returned to the stage several times to thank the audience for their enthusiasm.

Following the performance, a professional discussion took place in the lobby of the Bulandra Theatre, led by theatre critic Nona Rapotan. The audience actively questioned the actors about the interpretation of the text, the construction of the roles, and their experiences with the novel.

A day later, the company performed at the Metropolis Theatre: Kohlhaas, directed by Marcel Bélai, was included in the festival programme. The director was also familiar to Bucharest audiences, as they had previously seen his production The Cripple within the BukFeszt programme.

The Kohlhaas performance was also sold out, and the audience once again responded with great success. After the show, a professional discussion and audience meeting took place in the theatre café. The discussion was led by critic Mihai Brezeanu, who questioned director Bélai about the concept of the production and the development of the text, and asked the actors about the challenges of playing multiple characters within a single performance. Among other remarks, Brezeanu called the company the best theatre troupe in Romania, supporting his statement with a football analogy: just as the team that wins the league is considered the best for a year, the Harag György Company, with its UNITER awards, has become the champion of Romanian theatre life.