Zoltán Balázs directed in the Gergely Csiky Governmental Hungarian Theatre in Temesvár such a strictly and punctually built performance (Return of Ulysses), in which theatre and opera were presented at the same time. The director’s career is impressive: he has studied from Robert Wilson, he took place in Josef Nadj and Anatolij Vasziljev’s workshops. He has directed theatre, puppet theatre, opera, performed on stage, and in films too. He has been the leader of the Maladype independent theatre in Budapest since 2003. I have seen four of their performances, if I need to describe the troupe according to these, I would mention the following things: openness, naturalness, pleasure for play and playfulness, lazy moving, fast reaction, sharp attention and artistic punctuality. The director mostly builds his performances on artistic freedom and the viewers’ involvements (many times the viewers are active participant of their performances). It is that kind of travelling, in which as a viewer you can feel yourself in a privileged position.

Alfred Jarry: King Ubu (d. Zoltán Balázs)

A huge mountain of newspapers in the corner of a room, serves as the place of the King Ubu; the performance is performed in the “base”, so in the home of Maladype. During the performance I could feel myself again in a privileged position, as they perform it for a handful group of people (in the tiny “room” only for forty people have enough place). The set is made of accumulated newspapers – Ubu’s world is pushed into the corner. The performance is colourful, as well as the actors’ colourful suspenders or their green, red, blue stocks. Ubu gets stuck in the middle of the pile of newspapers, he is hungry, so he is eating. He matched news to the food, he is fed by pieces of newspapers, from where he gets cut up news. The actors are fed by papers/information by word. His character is cunning, insatiable and playful. With the help of an “innocent” game, he tells the short story of cruelty: he lines up his victims, and then he either saves them or sticks them. The properties are made of staplers, string and glue – as a children game. They will cut out of fresh newspapers those, who they have to kill, so the viewers (who can watch how the world is demolished) can remember also their close past time. The King Ubu’s fast rhythm is increased by the four actors’ excellent performances, who can make the structure with its special tempo move more.

Daniela Magiaru, Orizont, 2010

(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)