An Imaginary Report On An American Rock Festival
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''An Imaginary Report on an American Rock Festival'' ( hu, Képzelt riport egy amerikai popfesztiválról) is a Hungarian musical by composer
Gábor Presser Gábor Presser (born 27 May 1948) is a Kossuth Prize winning Hungarian musician, composer, singer. He was a band member in Locomotiv GT and Omega, and has been a prominent personality in Hungarian pop and rock music. Biography Childhood Born ...
, lyricist Anna Adamis and book writer Sándor Pós based on the short novel of the same name by
Tibor Déry Tibor Déry (18 October 1894 in Budapest – 18 August 1977 in Budapest) was a Hungarian writer and poet. He also wrote under the names Tibor Dániel and Pál Verdes. György Lukács praised Dery as being "the greatest depicter of human b ...
. The musical premiered in 1973, and being the first successful Hungarian rock musical (and also Presser's first theatrical work) opened the way for
popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...
to Hungarian theatres and literature. It is set in a U.S. rock festival and tells a story of a married Hungarian immigrant couple. The tragic musical became an instant critical and box office success in Hungary and—thanks to the several guest performances—Europe after its premiere in the
Comedy Theatre of Budapest The Comedy Theater of Budapest ( hu, Vígszínház) is a theater in Budapest. Starting in the turn of the 19th and 20th century as an opposition to the conservative National Theater, it became a pioneer institution of Hungarian drama, and one of ...
on March 2, 1973. Since then it has been performed by many Hungarian theatres in Europe while its English debut was in The Egg,
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...
, in March 1986. According to , a Hungarian encyclopedia of plays, “the most prominent productions were Balázs Kovalik's staging of 1999 in
Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also other alternative names) is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the m ...
with choreography by Tamás Juronics and János Szikora's clear-out, thought-provoking rendition in Szolnok (2005).” The songs of the musical became hits in Hungary and parts of the repertoire of
Locomotiv GT Locomotiv GT (often abbreviated LGT, and sometimes using the nickname Loksi) was a Hungarian rock band formed in 1971. Starting out as a progressive rock band, they later experimented with many other styles including jazz, funk, and Pop music, pop ...
. A radio play version of the musical was made in 1979. On the 25th anniversary of the premiere, the songs were reworked by Gergő Borlai, which were the basis of a new concert version of the show.


History

Sándor Pós writer and dramaturge, assistant director of the National Theatre, seeing his career opportunities as a director to have been exploited there, suggested the need for a "youth theatre" at a professional debate in 1971. While researching for the proposed repertoire, Levente Osztovics recommended him
Tibor Déry Tibor Déry (18 October 1894 in Budapest – 18 August 1977 in Budapest) was a Hungarian writer and poet. He also wrote under the names Tibor Dániel and Pál Verdes. György Lukács praised Dery as being "the greatest depicter of human b ...
's short novel titled , the theme of which Pós found appropriate for the adolescent and young adult audiences. Since his submission for theatre establishment did not get an official answer, he presented the idea of the play to the manager of the National Theatre, Béla Both, who liked the concept and charged Pós with the dramatisation. Déry, being uncertain in the outcome of the enterprise until the premiere, gave his permission. After Both retired, the new manager, Endre Marton chose to direct the play himself and appointed Pós as assistant, but the rehearsals never started. After three months of waiting, Déry—with Pós's approval—gave the rights to the
Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,
and Pós contracted to
Magyar Rádió Magyar Rádió (MR, ''The Hungarian Radio Corporation'', also known internationally as ''Radio Budapest'') is Hungary's publicly funded radio broadcasting organisation. It is also the country's official international broadcasting station. Dome ...
. Manager
Zoltán Várkonyi Zoltán Várkonyi (13 May 1912 – 10 April 1979) was a Hungarian actor and film director. In 1961, he was a member of the jury at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival. Four years later, he was a member of the jury at the 4th Moscow Intern ...
gained the permits from the Department for Agitation and Propaganda of the Central Committee of the
Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party ( hu, Magyar Szocialista Munkáspárt, MSZMP) was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of the Hungarian People's Republic between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working Peo ...
by introducing the plot as a "criticism of the Western hippie culture". The authorities, however, kept their eyes on the rehearsals. Várkonyi asked László Marton to direct the play. During rehearsals Pós's 120-page-long draft was significantly shortened, but was enriched with songs in accordance with the customs of the theatre. While several "traditional" theatrical composers were suggested for ''An Imaginary Report'', Marton preferred to work with popular musicians. His first choice was the Illés — to whom the original novel often refers to, drawing a comparison between them and
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
. However, lyricist János Bródy and composer Levente Szörényi turned down the opportunity because of the anti-rock surface layer of the original short novel. (They continued to search for the topic of their planned rock opera in Hungarian history, see: .) Next the authors of another popular Hungarian rock band, the
Locomotiv GT Locomotiv GT (often abbreviated LGT, and sometimes using the nickname Loksi) was a Hungarian rock band formed in 1971. Starting out as a progressive rock band, they later experimented with many other styles including jazz, funk, and Pop music, pop ...
—composer
Gábor Presser Gábor Presser (born 27 May 1948) is a Kossuth Prize winning Hungarian musician, composer, singer. He was a band member in Locomotiv GT and Omega, and has been a prominent personality in Hungarian pop and rock music. Biography Childhood Born ...
and lyricist Anna Adamis—were asked who were unfamiliar with theatrical composing at the time. Their initial answer was negative for similar reasons but Presser, after rethinking the novel, ultimately changed his mind. He said, “When I met with Tibor Déry in connection with ''Rock Festival'' asked him if I understood correctly what the novel was about. I thought, it was about when you leave our homeland you bring it with you. He said 'yes'. So the story was in place for me.” Presser—previously known only as a rock musician—used his own musical style when composing thirteen songs for the musical. Concerning the lyrics, Adamis stated: ''An Imaginary Report'' met negative responses prior to its premier due to the paradox that caused the Illés to turn down the project. According to the paradox, the musical criticises the extremes and exaggerations of the popular culture, the youth culture, yet exploits its musical style. While the theatre world disliked the integration of rock music, the popular music industry had a problem with its topic. The play violated taboos on drugs,
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
, and
the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
. Péter Szántó wrote in his book , “''An Imaginary Report'' was born in a hostile, tense environment. There was a split in the Locomotiv, since Károly Frenreisz (his brother
Zoltán Latinovits Zoltán Latinovits (9 September 1931, in Budapest – 4 June 1976, in Balatonszemes) was a Hungarian actor. Early life His mother divorced his father Oszkár Latinovits in 1941 and married István Frenreisz, a medical doctor, with whom she had ...
exited the Comedy Theatre with anger) left the band. Almost each star of the contemporary ungarianbeat, rock, and pop-music was against it because they thought it to be against youth, and they didn't like the fact that a band like the Locomotiv participated in an official theatrical production. They thought it to be the treason of the genre.” Upon its premiere on March 2, 1973, ''An Imaginary Report'' became a Europe-wide box office and critical hit.


Synopsis

The musical—similarly to the short novel it's based on—although set in
Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
, tells the fictionalised story of the
Altamont Free Concert The Altamont Speedway Free Festival was a counterculture rock concert in the United States, held on Saturday, December 6, 1969, at the Altamont Speedway outside of Livermore, California. Approximately 300,000 attended the concert, and some a ...
and the murder of Meredith Hunter. It focuses on a married Hungarian defector couple, and draws parallel between the drugged crowd and the
Arrow Cross Party The Arrow Cross Party ( hu, Nyilaskeresztes Párt – Hungarista Mozgalom, , abbreviated NYKP) was a far-right Hungarian ultranationalist party led by Ferenc Szálasi, which formed a government in Hungary they named the Government of National ...
.


Act 1

There is an infinite line of cars on the rainy highway, made up by 300 thousand young people heading to the Montana Rock Festival (""). Flocks of birds appearing on the sky cast an ominous shadow on the crowd (""). In one of the cars sits József who fled from Hungary to New York City in 1956 and who is searching for his also immigrant wife, Eszter who travelled to the festival in spite of her husband's disagreement. On the way, he picks up a hitchhiker, the Boy whom he provokes because of his
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
and then throws him out of his car. He talks about Eszter and their love to a strange woman who offers him to marry for a couple of days. Eszter materialises in a vision (""). As József arrives to the festival, meets several of his acquaintances including Manuel but can't find Eszter (""). The exhausted József falls into sleep where Eszter finds him but doesn't wake him up. She leaves with her American friend, Beverley, and they witness in the drugged crowd as during a riot one of the
Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a worldwide outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporati ...
contracted as security stabs a knife in the heart of a black boy called Meredith Hunter. József hears Eszter's scream, sends a message to her but she refuses to meet (""). The circumstances of the murder are described by a Witness whose personal story is also revealed. József continues his search for Eszter. He finds a dazed friend, René. Although, he is unable to help either, through him he meets a Canadian doctor, Marianne escorting her druggie husband (""). József—increasingly worried by his wife's whereabouts—continues the search ("").


Act 2

Eszter and Beverley leave the concert and find shelter in a tent where the Boy gives hashish to Eszter (""). Under the influence of the drug she remembers the
ghettos A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...
while in a nearby tent József listens to a philosophical discussion between Joshua and Frantisek. Eszter tells the story of her marriage, as well. Eventually József and Eszter meet (""), however, while József is looking for the car to take his wife home, Eszter disappears. Eszter while on her way to the concert with Beverley is gnawed by further drug-visions. She sees fleeing Jews instead of festival-goers (""). An Arrowcross Bird talks to her and gives her a new dose of drug. She is parted from Beverley by the crowd, and in the meantime the District Attorney interrogates a Hells Angel about the murder. Both József and Beverley search for Eszter (""). Eszter becomes “the symbol of pureness and being humane” and the search turns into a symbolic quest. The pinprick in Eszter's vision is in fact real, since the Boy gave her heroin and when József finds her, she is dying. József feels self-reproach and as he mourns her, the Boy stabs him but he doesn't die. The Boy is captured by the police. The District Attorney interrogates the murderer. Beverley—having been informed about the events from Bill—mourns, and tries to understand the reasons of Eszter's death (""). The finale differs depending on the concept of the director: the musical may end with the optimistic "" that sets the aim of healing Earth's wounds (and cleaning up the trash after the festival) or with the rather melancholic reprise of "".


List of musical numbers

;Act 1 *"" — the Chorus *"" — Witness & the Chorus *"" — Eszter *"" — Manuel & the Chorus *"" — Eszter *"" — Marianne *"" / "" — József & the Chorus ;Act 2 *"" — the Chorus *"" — Eszter & József *"" — instrumental *"" — József & Beverley *"" — first, second & third girls *"" / "" — the Chorus


Productions


Original Hungarian production

The premiere was on March 2, 1973, at the
Comedy Theatre of Budapest The Comedy Theater of Budapest ( hu, Vígszínház) is a theater in Budapest. Starting in the turn of the 19th and 20th century as an opposition to the conservative National Theater, it became a pioneer institution of Hungarian drama, and one of ...
. The production was directed by László Marton, choreographed by György Geszler, the set was designed by Miklós Fehér, while the costumes by Márta Jánoskúti. This production run for eight years when it was revived by Marton which version run again for years reaching 400 performances. Presser himself taught the actors, who were inexperienced in rock music, the songs. The cast included many young artist who later became popular actors, like Éva Almási, Attila Apró, Péter Balázs, Ilona Béres, Márta Egri, Béla Ernyei, Krisztina Ferenczi, György Gárdonyi, D. Géza Hegedűs, György Kemény,
András Kern András Kern (born 28 January 1948 in Budapest) is a Hungarian actor, producer, writer, singer and comedian. Life In 1965 Kern produced a film with a friend, entitled ''Mi Lesz?'' (What will happen?), and subsequently won first prize in the 13 ...
,
Róbert Koltai Róbert Koltai (born 16 December 1943) is a Hungarian actor, film director and screenwriter. He has appeared in over 90 films since 1967. He appeared in the 1976 film '' Man Without a Name'', which was entered into the 26th Berlin Internati ...
,
Gábor Koncz Gábor Koncz (born 1938) is a Hungarian actor. In the US, he is well known for playing Vagran Rostavili, brother of the main antagonist Viktor Rostavili in ''Red Heat'' (1988). Selected filmography * ''Tales of a Long Journey'' (1963) * '' Ger ...
, László Komár, István Kovács, Erzsébet Kútvölgyi, Judit Lukács, Sándor Lukács, Zoltán Moser, Gábor Nagy, Sándor Oszter, Sándor Szakácsi, Erika Szegedi, Éva Szerencsi, and
László Tahi Tóth László Tahi Tóth (23 January 1944 – 22 February 2018) was a Kossuth Prize-awarded Hungarian stage, television and film actor. He was a member of the Vígszínház. Personal life and death Tahi Tóth was one of seven sons born to Eleanor ...
. Initially, the
Locomotiv GT Locomotiv GT (often abbreviated LGT, and sometimes using the nickname Loksi) was a Hungarian rock band formed in 1971. Starting out as a progressive rock band, they later experimented with many other styles including jazz, funk, and Pop music, pop ...
played live during each performances while later the Gemini understudied them. The production went on guest performances all around the Eastern Bloc—they played, for example, in the
Deutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar The (DNT) is a German theatre and musical organisation based in Weimar. It is a twin institution, consisting of the theatrical (German National Theatre, now solely based in Weimar) and the symphony orchestra known as the . It has a total of ...
(1974), the Schauspiel Leipzig (1977), the
Volksbühne The Volksbühne ("People's Theatre") is a theater in Berlin. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (Rosa Luxemburg Square) in what was the GDR's capital. It has been called Berlin's most iconic theatre. About The Vol ...
in East Berlin, the Bulandra Theatre in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, at the
Belgrade International Theatre Festival The Belgrade International Theatre Festival (abbr. BITEF) is a theatre festival that takes place every September annually in Belgrade, Serbia. History Founded in 1967, BITEF has continually followed and supported the latest theatre trends. It h ...
, and in the National Theatre in
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
. At these performances many people from capitalist countries, including critics had the opportunity to see the musical. In Prague ''An Imaginary Report'' enjoyed so much attention that they had to give two performances on the same night. Many figures of the Czech cultural life attended to these occasions, including
Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...
, Bohumil Hrabal, and
Emil Zátopek Emil Zátopek (; 19 September 1922 – 21 November 2000) was a Czech long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final me ...
.


Other major Hungarian language productions

The musical have been staged by many Hungarian language companies. The second and third productions were that of the National Theatre of Szeged and the Katona József Theatre in
Kecskemét Kecskemét ( , sk, Kečkemét) is a city with county rights central part Hungary. It is the eighth-largest city in the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun. Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's th ...
in the first half of 1974. Péter Trokán and Ildikó Pécsi starred in the latter one. Three further productions debuted in 1975 in the National Theatre of Pécs, the
National Theatre of Miskolc The National Theatre of Miskolc is the main theatre of Miskolc, and the oldest theatre company of Hungary. Its current Classicist and Neo-baroque building built between 1847 and 1857, is in the city centre, in Széchenyi street and is home to not ...
, and Szigligeti Theatre in
Szolnok Szolnok (; also known by other #Name and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in central Hungary. A City with county rights, city with county rights, it is located on the banks of the Tisza river, i ...
. The Szolnok cast included Sándor Szakácsi as József, and also Mari Csomós, Péter Czibulás, Mátyás Usztics, Frigyes Hollósi, Katalin Andai and Zoltán Papp. Another staging had its premiere in March 1979 in Kisfaludy Theatre (today
National Theatre of Győr The National Theatre of Győr is a theatre in Győr, Hungary. Opened on 2 November 1978, it is the main theatre of the Győr-Moson-Sopron region. Until January 1, 1992, it bore the name Kisfaludy Károly Theatre. In 2008 the number of visitors w ...
). The first production of ''An Imaginary Report'' in
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
was directed by Béla Horváth in the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj in 1980. the Comedy Theatre revived the musical on September 11, 1981, with Sándor Szakácsi as József, Nóra Kovács as Eszter, Judit Hernádi as Beverley, and Péter Rudolf as the Witness. The musical had a run of several years from 1986 in the Petőfi Theatre in
Veszprém Veszprém (; german: Weißbrunn, sl, Belomost) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county (comitatus or 'megye') of ...
. The Gárdonyi Géza Theatre in
Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque bui ...
staged the musical in fall 1988. Its
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
n premiere was on October 1, 1993, in the Jókai Theatre of
Komárom Komárom (Hungarian: ; german: Komorn; la, Brigetio, later ; sk, Komárno) is a city in Hungary on the south bank of the Danube in Komárom-Esztergom County. Komárno, Slovakia, is on the northern bank. Komárom was formerly a separate villag ...
. In 1995 it was shown in the Hevesi Sándor Theatre in
Zalaegerszeg Zalaegerszeg (; hr, Jegersek; sl, Jageršek; german: Egersee) is the administrative center of Zala county in western Hungary. Location Zalaegerszeg lies on the banks of the Zala River, close to the Slovenian and Austrian borders and west-south ...
, Jókai Theatre of Békés County in
Békéscsaba Békéscsaba (; sk, Békešská Čaba; see also other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, the capital of Békés County. Geography Békéscsaba is located in the Great Hungarian Plain, southeast from Budap ...
, and Petőfi Theatre in Veszprém. The Veszprém revival cast was led by Kriszta Kovács as Eszter, Tibor Gazdag as József, and Péter Novák as Manuel. The first production in
Tatabánya Tatabánya (; german: Totiserkolonie; sk, Banská Stará) is a city with county rights of 64,305 inhabitants in northwestern Hungary, in the Central Transdanubian region. It is the capital of Komárom-Esztergom County. Location The city is lo ...
was the Jázsai Mari Theatre production in June 1999. The open-air premiere of ''An Imaginary Report'' was at the Open Air Festival in
Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also other alternative names) is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the m ...
on August 19, 1999, and was directed by Balázs Kovalik and choreographed by Tamás Juronics. The production moved to the National Theatre of Szeged on October 9, and starred
Judit Schell Judit Schell (born 16 April 1973) is a Hungarian actress. Career She graduated from the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest in 1995. After graduating, she began her career as an actress at the Radnóti Miklós Theater, where she spent 8 year ...
as Eszter, Mónika Sáfár as Beverley,
Iván Kamarás Ivan Kamaras (born 22 December 1972) is a Hungarian actor who became first known worldwide for his role as Agent Steel in the 2008 superhero fantasy thriller '' Hellboy II: The Golden Army'', directed by Guillermo del Toro. Kamaras voices the t ...
as József and Péter Novák as Manuel/
Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
. The musical had a production in the Castle Theatre of
Kőszeg Kőszeg (german: Güns, ; Slovak: ''Kysak'', sl, Kiseg, hr, Kiseg) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. The town is famous for its historical character. History The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas ...
in August 2000. The Szigligeti Company of the State Theatre of Oradea presented the musical on October 7, 2001. The Ruttkai Éva Theatre in Budapest had an all-star production of the musical in early 2002 with a cast including Kata Janza, Eszter Végvári, Tibor Pintér, Rita Tallós, Anikó Gruiz, Pál Makrai,
Feró Nagy Ferenc "Feró" Nagy (born 14 January 1946 in Letenye, Hungary) is a Hungarian rock singer and musician. Although not proficient on any instrument, he can play the guitar, the harmonica, the saxophone and the piano. Career Feró studied at the ...
, Adrienn Fehér, Péter Straub, Ottó Kinizsi, Pál Feke, and István Szekeres. The critically acclaimed staging of János Szikora premiered on January 28, 2005, in Szigligeti Theatre, Szolnok. During fall 2005 two further productions debuted: one by the Harag György Company of the Northern Theatre of Satu Mare and the other in the Pannon Castle Theatre in Veszprém. The company of Pannon Castle Theatre revived the musical in July 2012 at the Kőszeg Castle Theatre, while the Gárdony Gáza Theatre did so in October 2013 starring Anna Trokán.


English language production

Manager Rose Deak of The Egg, Albany, NY saw ''An Imaginary Report'' in Budapest, and decided to show it to American audiences. Preparations lasted for eight years since it was impossible to stage a Hungarian play during the first presidential term of Ronald Reagan because of the state of the Cold War. Deak collaborated with the Empire State Institute for the Performing Arts (ESIPA) whom she worked together earlier on
Ferenc Molnár Ferenc Molnár ( , ; born Ferenc Neumann; 12 January 18781 April 1952), often anglicized as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarian-born author, stage-director, dramatist, and poet, widely regarded as Hungary’s most celebrated and controversial play ...
's ''The Swan''. The performances were held between March 15 (the Hungarian National Day) and 22, 1986. The book was translated and adapted to the English language by the director of ESIPA, William A. Frankonis. The lyrics were translated by Anna Adamis. It was directed by Rose Deak, choreographed by
Patricia Birch Patricia Birch (born October 16, 1934) is an American dancer, choreographer, film director, and theatre director. Early life Born in Englewood, New Jersey, Birch began her career as a dancer in Broadway musicals, including ''Brigadoon'', ''Goldi ...
, its costumes were designed by Karen Krammer, its set by Loren Sherman, and its lighting by Victor En Yu Tan. The music director was Louis St. Louis who cooperated with Presser. It starred
Leonard Crofoot Leonard John Crofoot (born September 20, 1948 in Utica, New York) is an actor, singer, dancer, writer and choreographer. Crofoot has performed extensively on Broadway. His appearances include his Drama-League Critics Award-winning role of "Tom ...
as Frantisek, Lynnie Godfrey as Beverley, Joseph Larrabee-Quandi as József, Forest Dino Ray as Manuel, and Jeanne Vigilante as Eszter.


Adaptations


Radio play

A radio play version of ''An Imaginary Report'' was aired on Kossuth Rádió on August 29, 1979. The 76-minute-long play recorded in the studio of the National Theatre was directed by Sándor Pós and used the musical base of the Comedy Theatre production. Originally, it was planned to record the theatrical production itself but recording a separate radio play instead proved to be easier due to technical reasons. It also made changes possible. The radio play introduces the plot via hidden microphones of two reporters (Katalin Szegvári and János Szilágyi). The main roles were played by Géza Hegedüs D. (József), Ilona Bencze (Eszter), Ilona Béres (Beverley), Mari Csomós (Marianne), István Dégi (Boy), József Székhelyi (Manuel), László Sinkó (District Attorney), Gyula Szombathy (Witness), László Csurka (Hell's Angel), Károly Mécs (Voice), Gábor Markaly (René), László Vajda (Joshua), Tamás Dunai (Frantisek), István Kovács (Bill), Gabi Borbás (Juana), Tibor Varga (Marianne's husband), and Zsuzsa Farkas (Girl). The assistant directors were Ildikó Tolnai and Sándor Bereczky, the editor László Simon, the music director Sándor Ruitner, and the music manager Mária Fekete.


25th anniversary

In 1998, on the 25th anniversary of the musical Gábor Presser and Gergő Borlai touched up and re-orchestrated the songs. The updated version was recorded with the contemporary stars of Hungarian popular music including Ákos Kovács, Dóra Szinetár, András Lovasi, Eszter Bíró, Adrienn Fehér, Attila Kaszás, Roy Kohánszky, Péter Szolnoki,
Edit Balázsovits Edit Balázsovits (born 13 June 1975 in Budapest) is a Jászai Mari-Award winning Hungarian actress and singer. She starred in numerous plays, TV dramas and films, as well as many major international productions. In 2008, she was presented the ...
, Péter Novák, and Bea Tisza. These songs were transformed by Péter Novák into an hour-long concert version of the musical which the plot was left out of but dancing interludes were incorporated into. It premiered in 2000 at the LGT Festival and was performed again at the 2007
Sziget Festival The Sziget Festival ( hu, Sziget Fesztivál, ; "Sziget" for "Island") is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every August in northern Budapest, Hungary, on Óbudai-sziget ("Old Buda Island"), a leafy 108-hect ...
.


40th anniversary

To commemorate the 40 years of ''An Imaginary Report,'' a new production debuted at the Comedy Theatre on September 8, 2013, under the title ''Popfesztivál 40,'' utilizing the songs, the plot outline, and archive footage of the original musical. Directed by
Enikő Eszenyi Enikő Eszenyi (born 11 January 1961) is a Hungarian actress and theater director, recipient of Kossuth Prize (2001). She appeared in 1991's '' Paths of Death and Angels''. Selected filmography * '' Night Rehearsal'' (1983) * '' Eldorado'' (19 ...
, with costume and set designs by Anni Füzér, featuring original cast members László Tahi-Tóth and Éva Almási, the production starred
Edit Balázsovits Edit Balázsovits (born 13 June 1975 in Budapest) is a Jászai Mari-Award winning Hungarian actress and singer. She starred in numerous plays, TV dramas and films, as well as many major international productions. In 2008, she was presented the ...
(Eszter), Péter Telekes (József), Éva Bata (Marianne), Máté Mészáros (witness, Joshua), Kata Péter (Beverley), Áron Molnár (Angel of Hell), András Lajos (Manuel), László Józan (Bill), Zoltán Géczi (boy), Kata Gonda (Juana), and Janka Kopek (girl). At the time ''Popfesztivál 40'' premiered, there was a fierce competition between director and incumbent manager Eszenyi and original ''An Imaginary Report'' cast member (and manager of Szigligeti Theatre in Szolnok) Péter Balázs for the managerial position of Comedy Theatre. Eszenyi invited Balázs to be part of the anniversary performance, but he declined, therefore he only appeared on archive footage.


Response


Critical reception

''An Imaginary Report'''s themes and atmosphere was compared to that of '' Hairs and its music to ''
Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', it ...
'' by ''
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (; ''FAZ''; "''Frankfurt General Newspaper''") is a centre-right conservative-liberal and liberal-conservativeHans Magnus Enzensberger: Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen' (in German). ''Deutschland Radio'', ...
'', while its story to ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...
'' by the director of the U.S. premiere.


Original production

Upon its premiere, the musical received overwhelmingly positive critical response. Erika Szántó wrote for ''Színház'': "Sándor Pós borrowed an idea, a topic, characters, and a story from the work of Déry; anything that could be otherwise arbitrarily replaced, left out, or exchanged. He put together a smart and well-manageable framework and—left it empty. But it is not to be condemned but to be appreciated. The adaptation realized that this irregular novel cannot be adapted, however, it is a great theatrical occasion. … There are lot of things to be glad about in the production of Comedy Theatre. I start with the one that is not even that important in itself: the creation of a high-standard Hungarian musical. … On the other hand, what seems to be even more important than the appearance of a new theatrical genre: that a new theatrical quality appeared." Tamás Ungvári wrote in ''
Magyar Nemzet ''Magyar Nemzet'' ('' en, Hungarian Nation'') is a major Hungarian newspaper published in Hungary, and in 2021 styled itself as "close to the current Hungarian government led by Viktor Orbán." History and profile ''Magyar Nemzet'', a moderate ...
'' that "The first rock musical was born with a literary and musical material that could compete with international examples. … The Anna Adamis's lyrics are tender, poetic extensions of the Déry's dialogues, and the superb songs composed by Gábor Presser fit naturally into the play and have great dramatic, intensifying effects." He called the production "an endeavour deserving encouragement" and "an inspired, prestigious, suggestive performance," and recommended that it should be followed by an all-musical show (rock opera). Further reviews were published in Hungarian periodicals ''Esti Hírlap,
Népszava ''Népszava'' (meaning "People's Word" in English) is a social-democratic Hungarian language newspaper published in Hungary. History and profile ''Népszava'' is Hungary's eldest continuous print publication and as of October 2019 the last an ...
,
Népszabadság ''Népszabadság'' (; means "Liberty of the People") was a major Hungarian newspaper which was formerly the official press organ of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party during the Hungarian People's Republic. History and profile ''Népsza ...
, Fővárosi Színházak Műsora, Ország Világ, Tükör,
Élet és Irodalom ''Élet és Irodalom'' (also known as ''ÉS''; meaning ''Life and Literature'' in English) is a weekly Hungarian magazine about literature and politics. History and profile ''Élet és Irodalom'' was first published as a literary magazine on 15 ...
, Kritika, Kortárs, Jelenkor,'' and ''Népújság.''


Albany production

The U.S. premier met with less enthusiastic reviews than its European counterpart. Martin P. Kelly from '' Times Union''—acknowledging its European success—felt that the musical lost something in translation. He criticized the "didactic" script, and found the music, the actors, and the direction all weak. " whole act or, at least a prologue, appears to be missing," which would elaborate on the main characters' motivations, adds Kelly. Bob Goepfert wrote a more positive review for '' The Knickerbocker News,'' although, he thought that it "is a work that is either 20 years after its time, or 20 years ahead of its time" with "little relevance to the 1980s." Goepfert found the storyline "troubled," but the performances strong, the music direction "marvellous," and the choreography "fresh and invigorating". He finished his article by saying "This is a production that will entertain the young in the audience, but if offers little insight to our culture of 20 years ago. Sadly, it is so naive, it is not even an effective anti-drug statement that could influence today's teenagers."


Upon the 2007 concert production

When the concert version of the play was performed as an opening act for Locomotiv GT at the 2007
Sziget Festival The Sziget Festival ( hu, Sziget Fesztivál, ; "Sziget" for "Island") is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every August in northern Budapest, Hungary, on Óbudai-sziget ("Old Buda Island"), a leafy 108-hect ...
, it came into the attention of mainstream media yet again. Although, numerous reviewers formed a positive opinion of the concert, praising the timelessness of the songs and the talent of the actors, many turned on the play. These critics revisited the paradox mentioned above, lambasted the themes, the short novel it is based on, and the motivation of Presser and company. They deemed the songs outdated even by the standards of the early 1970s, and harshly criticized both their 1998 cover versions as well as the original production at the Comedy Theatre. László Valuska of ''
Index.hu Index.hu is a Hungarian news website covering both Hungarian and international news. In 2018, it was the most visited Hungarian website with an average of 1.5 million daily readers. While most of the website's articles are written in Hungarian, ...
'' called it an ″anti-Sziget, Communist propaganda work,″ and wrote that "Déry reviled and defamed the very culture ródy and his friendsadmired so much. But then came along the Anna Adamis–Gábor Presser duo, and—probably using the well-known strategy of subverting from within—they wrote the play. And at the same time, they managed to erase from everybody's mind how terribly stupid the words of Déry had been. Today, ''An Imaginary Report'' is the same kind of lame house party music as ''István, a király.'' Though, the castrated ideological humbug did survive somewhere in the background—it's enough to read the lyrics to see—so it remains inconceivable how this was chosen to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Sziget." For ''Népszabadság,'' Péter Uj wrote "Well now: today's the day when the sensational rave begins with the rock-operetta version of a horrible, stupid, anti-rock propaganda play, which became a rock legend of local interest over the times, proving that the people of Árpád understood absolutely nothing of rock and roll, or—even worse—of the
regime change Regime change is the partly forcible or coercive replacement of one government regime with another. Regime change may replace all or part of the state's most critical leadership system, administrative apparatus, or bureaucracy. Regime change may ...
, but is quite susceptible of the words of György Aczél. … Everything has to be, should be treated by its values, ''An Imaginary Report'' forgotten completely, and the same way
Gyula Horn Gyula János Horn (5 July 1932 – 19 June 2013) was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1994 to 1998. Horn is remembered as the last Communist Minister of Foreign Affairs who played a major role in the demolishi ...
wasn't honoured, Presser–Adamis would deserve a snub, at least if we'd like to pretend that there has been a regime change." (Sándor Zsugmond Papp, from the same newspaper, reviewed the concert with appreciation.) János Sebők reacted to the negative reviews in ''
Élet és Irodalom ''Élet és Irodalom'' (also known as ''ÉS''; meaning ''Life and Literature'' in English) is a weekly Hungarian magazine about literature and politics. History and profile ''Élet és Irodalom'' was first published as a literary magazine on 15 ...
,'' concluding that "in the midst of the intellectual slaughter of the early 70s, the production meant an outbreak from the ideological ghetto that paralysed (liquidated, banished) so many things and so many people in this country. And even though, the play did become a 'toy' for those in power and for debaters upon its birth and even later—the same way ''István, a király'' did ten years afterwards—its influence, all the covers and directorial concepts since, prove that the work withstood the test of time. And most importantly, the audience feels it its own, even after almost thirty-five years."


Cultural impact

The musical—thanks to its musical style—managed to substitute the banned '' Jesus Christ Superstar'' and opened the way before rock and other popular music genres into the theatre and the arts. ''An Imaginary Report'' is the first of many successful theatrical works by Presser. It was followed by musicals like '' Harmincéves vagyok'', '' Jó estét nyár, jó estét szerelem'', '' A padlás'', and '' Túl a Maszat-hegyen''. Many actors who later gained popularity started their career in ''An Imaginary Report''. Most of the songs—most notably "Menni kéne", "Valaki mondja meg", "Arra születtem", "Vinnélek", and "Ringasd el magad"—made their ways to the repertoire of Locomotive GT and to Hungarian popular culture. They have had several recordings outside the musical, while "Menni kéne", "Valaki mondja meg", and "Ringasd el magad I." were also included in another musical, ''Szent István körút 14.'' "Valaki mondja meg", "Ringasd ek magad I.", and "Vinnélek, vinnélek" were performed on the video recording ''Vígszínházi búcsú.'' "Valaki mondja meg" has been covered—among others—by
Zorán Sztevanovity Zorán Sztevanovity ( sr-cyr, Зоран Стевановић) (born 4 March 1942) is a Serbian guitarist, singer and composer in Hungary. Life and career Zoran Stevanović ( sr-cyr, Зоран Стевановић) was born in Belgrade, Kingdo ...
on his album ''Szép holnap'' (1987), by band Géniusz on ''Csillagokból kő'', by
Zsuzsa Koncz Zsuzsa Koncz (born Zsuzsanna Koncz) (, born 7 March 1946, Pély) is a Hungarian pop singer, whose lyrics (mostly written by János Bródy) were sometimes highly critical of the country's pre-1990 political system. Her career started after he ...
on ''Miénk itt a tér'', by Zorán again on live album ''Koncert – Budapest Sportcsarnok'' (1996), by composer Gábor Presser with Péter Kovács and Viktória Voga live on ''Koncert – Dalok régről és nemrégről'' (2003), by Presser again in studio on ''Dalok a színházból'' (2004), and as a duet by then-husband-and-wife Zoltán Bereczki and Dóra Szinetár on ''Musical duett'' (2007). The song is also present on the DVDs ''Koncert a Budapest Sportarénában'' (2005) és a ''Presser Gábor és vendégei – Jótékonysági koncert „Az Élet Menete Alapítvány” javára'' by Zorán & Presser, and Presser, respectively. "Ringasd al magad" was first published on the 1972 Locomotive GT album of the same title, although, it was only a shorter early version of the song. Later, as the musical version was finished, the song was re-released on 1973 album ''
Bummm! ''Bummm!'' is Hungary, Hungarian rock band Locomotiv GT's third studio album and was released in 1973. It was their first album with singer and bassist Tamás Somló and their last album with guitarist Tamás Barta before he left the band. Becaus ...
'' and 1992 video recording ''Báj-báj Loksi!''. Many artists other than Locomotive GT have recorded their versions of the song. These include Rapülők on albums ''Rapeta'' (1993) and ''Riszájkling Show'', original cast artist Péter Balázs with Gábor Török on ''Calypso duett album'' (1994), Kimnowak on
maxi single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, " In the Summertime" was t ...
''Ringasd el magad / Ide doki kell'' (1997), Jimmy Zámbó in 1999 (which recording was released posthumously on ''Requiem'' in 2005), Pál Makrai for compilation album ''Best of Musical 1. – A világ legszebb musical slágerei magyarul'' (2006), Péter Puskás on ''Megasztár Allstar – A három sorozat legnagyobbjai!'', and composer Presser on his live album ''Koncert – Dalok régről és nemrégről.'' The song was also recorded by Locomotive GT in English, under the title "Rock Yourself". "A fák is siratják" has been covered by
Linda Király Linda Király (born 28 February 1983) is a Hungarian-American singer and songwriter. She sings both in English and in Hungarian. She is the older sister of singer Viktor Király. Biography Linda Király is the second eldest of four children o ...
on album '' #1'' in 2003, and by
Nguyen Thanh Hien Nguyễn Thanh Hiền or simply Hien (born 6 March 1994) is a Hungarian pop singer of Vietnamese descent who competed in the Hungarian Megasztár sixth season and was the fifth runner up. Biography Hien attended school between 2000 and 2006 at ...
on compilation ''Megasztár – A legenda folytatódik – A döntősök kedvenc dalai'' in 2008. Versions of "Vinnélek, vinnelek" can be found on albums ''Judy gitár'' of 1983 by István Faragó, ''Dalok a színházból'' by composer Presser, and DVD ''Presser Gábor és vendégei – Jótékonysági koncert „Az Élet Menete Alapítvány” javára'' by Mariann Falusi and Péter Novák. The singing and piano sheets of the musical were published by Rózsavölgyi és Társa in 1999, 2004, and 2007.


Recordings

The songs of the musical were published first with the original cast in the year of the premiere on LP (SLPX 16579) by Qualiton—the predecessor of
Hungaroton Hungaroton is the oldest record and music publisher company in Hungary. Hungaroton was founded in 1951, when its only competitors in the Hungarian music market were record labels like Melodiya, Supraphon and from other socialist countries. Prev ...
. It was re-released on CD (HCD 37659) by Hungaroton in 1992 along with the songs of the second Presser–Adamis musical, ''Harmincéves vagyok''. The cover art was drawn by György Kemény. The record reached outstanding sales, while upon its CD release it was featured on the
Mahasz Hungarian Recording Industry Association (Hungarian: ''Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége'', more commonly abbreviated to MAHASZ or Mahasz) is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. MAHASZ issues the Hungarian Music Awards, ...
Top 40 album list. When the concert version was shown at the 2007 Sziget Festival, the album reached #2 on the same list. In 1995, the songs performed by the Veszprém revival cast were recorded and published on CD. The 25th anniversary adaptations of the songs were published by BMG Ariola Hungary on CD and Compact Cassette in 1998 and reached #2 on the Mahasz Top 40 album list.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imaginary Report On An American Rock Festival, An 1973 musicals Hungarian music Musicals based on novels Rock musicals Hungarian musicals