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FREEDOM FIGHT FOR LOVE, AN EXCELLENT FARCE AND SOME MUSIC BY LEHÄR the life, further development and history of all mankind.”* In order to make this notable thesis of Marxist historiography more understandable, György Székely gave a meticulous analysis of the age before the read-through, detailing a great number of phenomena, Írom colonialism and the changes of the financial world to social tensions. In relation to the latter, he highlighted the historical role of les bohémes, who "wanted to turn against all that this society involved" and "proclaimed war against bourgeois morality".?5 Therefore, he projected the image of a rather militant world of the bohemians behind the events of Lehárs operetta. His aim was to make the production reflect specific factors of the period, such as the forms of social interaction and good manners, the conventions of social behavior, the characteristics of architecture, the way in which people had been dressed. Székely made it clear that they could get close to the period "in fashion, costumes, manners and dances” to display “the forces that had prevailed at the time”.*® This illustrates the realist maximalism of the mise-en-scéne, which scenography and acting were not able to reach utterly. Historicization, i.e. the historical attitude towards all figures and events, the emphasis on the changeability of the way of the world instead of the absolutization of the belle époque, converged with Brecht’s ideas of performance put into practice in East-Berlin at that time. Moreover, one of the questions of András Mikó, the other director came particularly close to the Brechtian understanding of theatre, namely "how can we make staging and acting reflect the ambiguities of this world?”*” Highlighting contradictions instead of clarity and consistency became a goal especially in case of phenomena found rather negative. Consequently, the power embodied by Sir Basil and the members of the society at Angéle’s soirée were analyzed painstakingly, as well as the capital represented by the three English lords hunting for monopolies and concessions, and “the merging of power and capital” in the lords’ dancing attendance on Sir Basil.*”! They also found contradictions in the law unveiled in the third act only to see that “not all people are equal before it”, and in the behavior of the average citizen, i.e. in Fleury’s opportunism, “who changes her positions from the point of view of utility”.*’* However, they did not forget “positive forces” either, such as “the power of the collective, the power of a group of artists who are happy to help each other” and also “the revolutionary nature of love”.*” This nature was considered particularly important by Székely, and connected with “the ideological content” of the play. It is worth 367 Térsulati üles, 5-10. 368 Ibid., 14. 3% Ibid., 21. 370 Ibid., 35-40. 371 Ibid., 22. 372 Ibid. 373 Ibid. +84»
