Northern Theatre Harag György Company

Lúdas Matyi of Fazekas Mihály, written in 1804, is based in all its elements on authentic folk tales, and its fairy-tale twists and language are closely aligned with this genre of folk art. At the heart of the story is the clever peasant boy, Matyi. It is easy to identify with the cunning, honest but somewhat self-righteous folk tale hero almost from the first encounter, while we can also follow the initially "lazy" lad's maturation into a man, cheering his righteous rebellion against injustice.

Based on Fazekas' work, Móricz Zsigmond wrote a realistic stage play, and added the female protagonists Éva and Kobak to the original story. Because Móricz's detailed depiction of the village people and fairground scenes somewhat distances the story from the world of the fairy tale, the work was sharply criticized on its publication. Despite the critics, Móricz wanted to see his work on stage, so he revised and refined it several times.

Actor-director Bessenyei István developed a unique script from the classic story, which he used to stage an exciting and meaningful performance. The director has filtered Móricz's sprawling text and focused primarily on the fairy-tale elements and playfulness, which he presents to the audience with folk music accompaniment.

The story of Ludas Matyi is evoked by a sudden conflict in which the figures of Ludas Matyi and Döbrögi, representing the forces of good and evil, are embodied. In the turmoil surrounding the conflict, the puppet turns into Döbrögi, and the people of the village act out the classic story of the simple folk hero punishing the overbearing landlord three times. Finally, the forces of good and evil are reconciled, and the evil personified is reduced to dead matter, a mere puppet.

Satu Mare folklore, local music and folk dance play an important role in the performance, but the world of Satu Mare folk beliefs and the specific language of the region are also integrated into the story. The setting is a widely known folk tradition, the burning of puppets. The action takes place in a village community, where a puppet embodying evil is carried around to symbolically destroy it, in accordance with carnival customs.