The musical Nine at the Budapest Operetta Theater is like a visual orgy. However, the impressive cinematic scenes often remain mosaic-like.

The Budapest Operetta Theater wanted to throw a lot in and really achieved serious partial victories. It is already unusual for a director fundamentally working in an independent theatrical sphere to be asked to direct the musical version of Fellini’s film 8 and ½. Zoltán Balázs, who is also an actor and has also run the Maladype Theatre for a long time, has now been able to try himself on the musical grand stage. He also set a lot of things in motion.

The Nine operates primarily with its sight. The whole stage is full of asymmetrical stairs. (Set design: Éva Szendrényi.) Walking through the almost floating huge structure is not an easy lesson for the actors, there are those who, easier, others find it harder to cope with the task. It instils levitation, uncertainty, and change. The costumes appear cavalcade-like. By the time we get engaged into one formation, we are already given a completely different one. It's all like a visual orgy. (Costume designer: Anikó Németh). Many times I felt that the multitude of headgears and other garments are rather self-serving. But the overall effect is still extremely effective. The quick shifts are cinematic, slamming from one scene to another. Unlike the Broadway version, the Operetta also features some of the film’s iconic hits - Cinema Italiano, Take it All and Guarda la Luna. The dances are characteristic, other times more drawn, more grotesque. (Choreographer: András Szőllősi).

Zoltán Balázs wanted to create theatre from the story at all costs. He worked with a huge apparatus, rehearsed with a triple cast. In the first cast, Attila Dolhai’s film director has not been convincing enough. He’s looking for his muse, he wants inspiration, so he walks over everyone. However, many times he can’t convince us that it’s worth going into the fire for it. He depicts the selfish creator who has drifted into crises, and he isn’t really going deeper than that. In the role of wife, however, Flóra Széles is a real surprise. She builds up the figure gradually, who tolerates for a while, and only later she gets tired of the abundant, shameless tyranny and ethical bankruptcy of the artist who refers to the importance of the work. The performance of the breakup song is the highlight of the production. Ágota Siménfalvy, who plays the role of producer, also brings a characteristic color to the musical. When she interacts with the audience, she shows the essence of the philosophy of entertainment. The women around the protagonist - Petra Gubik, Nikolett Füredi, Bernadett Vágó, Anna Peller - dance around the great director in rotation, but their presence remains mosaic-like. Guido's mother is played by Zsuzsa Ullmann, the visionary scenes strengthen the poesis of the play. Conductor Tamás Bolba is energical as the head of the orchestra of the Budapest Operetta Theater. Circus performers also appear in the revue, yet their presence is rather indicative.

Nine is made up of strong flashes, but it is often eclectic and dispersive. With its visuality and its especially rich musical material, it can still be an important milestone of Nagymező Street.

Gyula Balogh, Népszava, 2021

Translation by Zsuzsanna Juraszek