Oldal 149 [149]
GEORGY TOVSTONOGOV: THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR, 1973
distinctive exclamation, pathos and even his fits of anger’° contributed to
the subtle characterization of blindness caused by fear.’”’ Critics found the
achievement of the ensemble equal to Kallay’s performance and highlighted
the performance of Tamas Major, Janos Rajz and Lajos Basti. However, the
television recording of the production reveals that fantastic realism could not
entirely permeate acting.’”* Instead of fitting in with an exquisite satire, some
actors could not surpass constrained stylization and “a gaudy coloring of the
characters they played”.’”
STAGE DESIGN AND SOUND
Scenery designed by Tovstonogov himself combined visual effects of
naturalist staging with others, shifting them into different contexts from
time to time. The stage showed the Mayor’s two-storey home with a large
parlor and a staircase leading to rooms above, all extravagantly furnished
but sometimes hidden by sliding black walls so that new places could turn up
suddenly. Hence the Mayor’s house transformed into “a haunted mansion”
in which the black phantom of the government inspector, living in the
Mayor’s mind, could show up everywhere in no time, accompanied by eerie
726 Cf. Bernáth: A revizor, 2. — Ferenc Kallai’s vehemence was different from Kirill Lavrov’s
role-playing, who was the Mayor of the Leningrad production. He was introduced to the
audience in Budapest as a result of an unusual exchange of actors. In 1974, Kállai travelled to
Leningrad to play the Mayor in Tovstonogov’s mise-en-scéne running there, and then Lavrov
came to the National Theatre to replace Kallai on two nights. Hungarian newspapers were
writing on “the beautiful joint undertaking of theatre history” (Dalos: Tovsztonogov, 24.), the
“rhyming of two theatre cultures” (Andras Lukäcsy: A polgarmester: Kirill Lavrov, Magyar
Hírlap, Vol. 7, No. 139, 22"! May, 1974, 6.), and detailed the complexity of Lavrov’s acting.
Cf. “Lavrov’s Mayor is a bit more dignified. Kallai’s Mayor is a creeping worm with nothing
scary in him. His fear is more elemental and instinctive: it takes his whole environment with
him. [...] The figure created by Lavrov is more human because he must represent some kind
of strength." (E.F.P.: A művészi barátság példája. Kirill Lavrov Budapesten, Népszabadság,
Vol. 32, No. 116, 21‘ May, 1974, 7.) — “Low-key tone, almost mildness, calm tempos in a
Russian manner, gentler tempers: his performance is quite tame, almost lyrical.” (Lukacsy:
A polgármester: Kirill Lavrov, 6.)
Cf. "His eyes see inwards, his gaze is rigidly nailed into nothing, as if he were not fully
present in the events." Létay: A polgármester, 13. — "He almost plays the role in trance, as
if he were living in some kind of vision from the first moment." A revizor... Miklós Almäsi’s
program on Petőfi Radio.
In this respect, Katalin Saáds conclusion is particularly important: "Ihe naturalistic
elements (the door, the chandelier, the staircase, the carpet, etc.) which function fantastically
in the historicist scenery, the phantom, the music and the projections all create the style of
fantasy as external effects, but the director’s basic aim was to create this style in acting as
well. [...] The creation of this second plane, the unrealistic aspect of acting was the area that
could not be fully built in our performance. Maybe because the absurd had been left out of
our theatre history.” Saad: A revizor probain, 8.
729 Létay: A polgármester, 13.
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