By Briana Gomez
Looking for entertainment in Budapest? Look no further than Madách Színház, barely a kilometer from McDaniel’s Budapest campus.
This popular playhouse hosts large productions of international shows and musicals, adapted into Hungarian with local performers.
All ages flocked to Madách Friday, February 2 for a showing of Anna Karenina, Tolstoy’s (Hungarian: Tolsztoj) classic story more modernly conveyed in musical form.
The crowd, though mostly locals, was undeniably western with millennials dressed in hipster attire: a guy with a Frida Khalo shirt and unshaven beard, a girl with sleek red lips. Others were Hungary’s stringent older crowd, and arts patrons adorned in furs with stoic looks on their faces.
One group notably absent though was foreigners. Madách prides itself on its Hungarian productions and shows like Anna Karenina, for example, did not offer English subtitles.
Nevertheless the talent of the cast, the theme of the production, the costuming, and the stage flow all provided an understandable rendition of this dramatic tale.
Madách can house about 800 guests and the theater was full on a Friday night.
It is recommended to purchase tickets online and despite some of the shows being told exclusively in Hungarian, the theater’s website has a fully navigable menu in English. The box office employees are also proficient in English and happy to assist with purchases.
Check out this year’s upcoming performances at madachszinhaz.hu
