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A CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION
BECOMES A LASTING LESSON
IMRE APÁTHY: ORPHEUS, 1952
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Title: Orpheus. Date of Premiere: 29" February, 1952. Venue: Operetta Theatre,
Budapest. Director: Imre Apathy. Authors: Gyorgy Hámos, József Romhányi.
Composer: Jacques Offenbach. Musical arrangement, re-orchestration: Tibor
Polgar. Set designer: Zoltan Gara. Costume designer: Istvan Köpeczi Boöcz.
Choreography: Eugenius Paplinski. Conductor: Tamás Bródy. Company:
Operetta Theatre, Budapest. Actors: Läszlö Hadics, Läszlö Palöcz (Orpheus),
Zsuzsa Petress, Marika Nemeth (Eurydice) Lili Berky (Hermina), Päl Homm,
György Denes (Pluto), Kamill Feleki (John Styx), Gäbor Agärdy (Jupiter),
Röbert Rätonyi (Mars), Läszlö Keleti (Vulcan), Jözsef Antalffy (Mercury),
Judit Hödossi (Cupid), Magda Mindszenthy (Juno), Ilona Kiss (Venus), Eva
Fenyvessy (Luna), Teréz Komlóssi (Diana), Magda Gyenes (Minerva), Hugó
Csák (Helios), Gusztáv Vándory (Asclepius), Lajos Gárday (Augeas), Kálmán
Rózsahegyi (Kronos), Sándor Tekeres (Apollo), Erzsi Hont (Hecate), György
Dénes (High Priest), György Pálos (Glaucos), József Gyurián (Poponrugos),
Elli Rajnai, Erzsi Saághy, Éva Marton, Margit Kelemen (Drusilla, Charis,
Arsinoe, Cipris: Eurydices friends), Pál Décsi, Sándor Novák, Pál Juhász
(Amphion, Sosias, Zeno: Disciples of Orpheus), Éva Thuri (Postman angel),
Ilona Novák (Doorman angel), György Bikády, György Simonffi (Underworld
servant 1), László Csihák (Underworld servant 2), István Albert (Lion).
CONTEXT OF THE PERFORMANCE IN THEATRE CULTURE
Although spectators liked it, Orpheus came under scathing attack in the
press. Trying to adapt to the expectations of “state-religious culture”,?” the
production rooted in the political zeal of the Operetta Theatre, but ended
up as an obvious failure according to its creators’ self-assessment. Critics
appreciated the “brave and noble intention” to come up with a play that
247 The term is used by Akos Szilagyi in his study on films during Stalinism. Cf. Akos Szilagyi:
A sztálini idők mozija 1, Filmvilág 31:9 (1988), 36. The term also comes in handy for the
theatre of the Rakosi Era, when theatres were expected to propagate not only anticlericalism
(significant in case of Orpheus) but also the omnipotence of the one-party system with its
ideology.