STERIJINO POZORJE FESTIVAL 2016 - Novi Sad, Serbia -
National Theatre / Nepszinhaz - Drama in Hungarian, Subotica (Serbia) -
ÉDES ANNA
Text: Dezső Kosztolányi
Director: József Czajlik

Young theatre goers when they hear of Dezső Kosztolányi are always reminded of the theater which has been for years successfully led by Andras Urban. However, thanks to the efforts of Drama in Hungarian of the National Theatre in Subotica, our audience will have the opportunity to get to know Dezső Kosztolányi as an exceptional author originally from Subotica, whose prose work contains extensive dramatic potential. It is very important to make a right repertoire move - to recognize which work of art or which classical piece is of value in our time. Then, it is necessary to prepare that piece for the scene so that it can maintain the authentic force and become part of the contemporary theater. Kata Gyarmati has not added a single word, but she skillfully summarized the text while preserving its narrative and adding a dramatic dimension (already present in the short story). Édes Anna is a play about brutal exploitation of a maid by her master, about master’s obsessive attachment to the maids and servants, about servant's inability to escape from a crippling position, about any and every possible exploitation and erasing of women in capitalist society, and, ultimately, about the terrible, suicidal, in-articulated rebellion of a victim whose identity has been deleted. Actors easily and efficiently transfer from the narration into dramatic play. They have a reduced approach to acting, so they seem compelling in their performance. Natalia Vicei is outstanding playing the obsessive mistress. She is seemingly cold, but a tick around her mouth reveals a crazy, obsessive and evil woman. Anna Édes played by Hermine G. Erdélyi is a female Woyzeck; she confirms that break down of the borders of humanity inevitably leads to aggression and crime.