The rock opera The Gospel of Mary is presented in Debrecen at Kossuth Square; The public can see László Tolcsvay, Péter Müller, and Péter Sziámi’s play for a single time on the outdoor stage in front of the Reformed Great Church on August 8 at the II. as a program of the Debrecen Festive Games.
As written by the organizers in a statement delivered to MTI, the musical work presented thirty years ago at the Madách Theater tells the story of the Virgin Mary: from her youth to the birth of Christ and her death on the cross to Mary’s ascension, we can follow the events in the visionary interpretation of the apostle John.
Since its premiere in 1991, the play has been staged several times in Hungary, but it has also been played in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, and Italy, in addition to the big stage adaptations, in oratorio and concert-like versions. However, it will be seen for the first time with a live orchestra in the performance of LantArt Produkció. The play was staged by choreographer and director Tamás Juronics with the participation of renowned singers and creators of the genre.
The rock opera portraying the gospel story from a mother’s point of view is able to simultaneously show the sacredness, the greatness of divine power and the all-conquering power of love, and at the same time the spiritual background of human feelings, the statement highlights.
As they write, the production, which was successfully presented in Győr on Easter evening, presents the work in a reimagined form. According to director Tamás Juronics, they did not stage an iconostasis, but present-day people act out a mystery story. “The focus is on the human plane, namely from a woman’s point of view.
“We are just as archaic as an archeological find, which is cleverly conveyed by Balázs Cziegler’s spectacular set, which hides secrets and evokes inspirations from the history of the genre, while Benedek Mari’s costumes represent the present age,” said the director.
A large-scale performance worthy of the jubilee will be presented in Debrecen after Győr, Kaposvár, and Margitsziget. In the play, Mária is played by Barbara Bordás, Jesus is played by Sándor György-Rózsa, Herod is played by Péter Novák, and Tamás Földes makes his debut as the apostle John.
The Szeged Contemporary Ballet and the orchestra and choir of the Győr National Theater under the direction of Szabolcs Medveczky participate in the performance. The performance on the Kossuth Square stage starts at 8:30 p.m., and its rain date will be August 9.
