The genre of jazz opera is unusual in Hungary. However, since the summer of 2026 there have been some of us, who has watched any of the theatrical performances of The Suit. It started in Bánk, then the career of this newest hope of Hungarian culture has continued in Gyula and in the Városmajor. The basic work was written by a South-African writer, the melodies with English language can be thanked for a Hungarian composer.

Let’s start from the beginning. The writer of the story was Daniel Canodoise „Can” Themba (1924–1967), the South-African short story writer, who lived in Johannesburg, the downtown of Sophiatown. He wrote most of his books here too. The town that had mixed residents, were destroyed by the apartheid regime. Because of the political oppression, Themba also had to escape. From the end of the 60s until his death he lived and taught in Swaziland. In 1966 he was said to be a “communist” in his home land, and because of this his books were banned. He died on 8th September 1967 in Manzin.

Themba’s most celebrated story is The Suit, which was first published in 1963, in a South African literary magazine. The story is about Philemon, about a middle-classed lawyer and wife, Matilda, who live in Sophiatown. One day, Philemon got a news, that his wife had a secret love affair with someone, so he goes home during the day, and finds them together. The caught man escaped through the window, but he left his suit behind. Philemon now finds out a bizarre and cruel punishment! Matilda has to treat the suit, as an honourable guest; she has had to feed, entertain and take it for a walk for months. This memento of her unfaithfulness can ruin the personality, it means total control, which gets away the total freedom and dignity. The weight of this humiliation finally chases her into death. Matilda’s tragedy also becomes the metaphor of the abusive power – apartheid.

At the end, the jealous Philemon, who is unable to forgive, becomes a victim himself, from the offender. It is a strange trick of the fate: both of them loved each other!

The stage version of The Suit started in the Market Theatre from Johannesburg, with Mothobi Mutloatse and Barney Simon’s version, then Peter Brook directed the French performance in Paris in 2004. Then it was performed in 2012 in London too. In case of the Hungarian version, Zoltán Balázs, director and set designer started from the Brook-like version, based on the text-version by Mutloatse and he formed that way the doctrine of domestic mental violence. In this situation neither the abuser can feel himself well, he also suffers, but he cannot get out of this process anyway.

Adrián Kovács has composed music to this soul-drama. He was the student of the piano course in the Béla Bartók Conservatory from 2006, in 2008 he was accepted to the jazz course of the institute, which he finished in 2011. From 2011 he studied on the applied music composition course of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music. He started his stage routine as a conductor in the Operetta Theatre of Budapest, but besides it so far he has composed music for more than sixteen theatrical performances.

The Suit is a chamber play with three characters, in which the songs also try to express feelings, inner happenings too, but from the characters’ songs we can learn about places of each happenings (garden party and so on). It is 40% jazz, but there are rhythms of the exact places (kwela, marabi and so on) and there are Latin-like melodies too. During the final of the performance, we can listen to the song of Malaika (Angel) which is known to be one of the most beautiful Swahili love song, in Zulu language, which has become famous worldwide, sung by Miriam Makeba - and even the group of Boney M. has adapted it.

The singers: Csilla Radnay (Matilda) and Barna Kelemen Bányai (Philemon), besides them Fehér Ferenc as a dancer, moves in the suit, which has been left behind. The set, which is concentrated into the middle of the stage, is minimalist, sometimes, it is similar to a skeleton, its smaller changes can sign the places of happenings, where the three characters are living. I think it was perfect. On the screen, above the stage, we could follow synchronously the songs in Hungarian and English language.

We cannot complain because of the follower jazz orchestra, as they have perfectly adapted to the mood of the text. From the harmony of the orchestra that members are András Szép (piano), Benedek Kárpáti (drums, percussions), Szabolcs Dörnyei (guitar), Balázs Rabóczki (saxophone), Zsolt Magda (flute) and Tamás Gyányi (bass), I like the themes of flute and the silky smooth sounding saxophone the most.

And the songs! There are not any opera-like mannerisms between the hit-like performances. I cannot even remember a true (opera-like) duo, however, there were some dialogue-like scenes. The level of quality – independently from the style of the songs – is steadily good; they always try to explain and support the emotional state of the characters. There are not any solos, which are characteristic of the jazz. But all of it has a dramatic nature, intimate – however tragic – basic mood, which can touch and move the viewers.

Besides the composer and director, Mr. Gangumzi Mattias Tsengiwe, the Hungarian ambassador of South –Africa also took part in the conversation before the performance.

And who would like to make a try with the performance after my lines, those can watch it on 14th November in Bánk!

Károly Libisch, jazz.hu, 2026

(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)