Page 200 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2021. Opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama ▪︎ Operetta between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 5
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opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama
generate interest.86 Despite being a financial disaster for the Operetta The-
atre, the show had an enormous impact on Hungarian-speaking theatre.
Its first (found) parody, also titled Halló, Budapest!, opened in Febru-
ary 1925, at Vidám Színpad.87 The venue was located in the Operetta Thea-
tre, the home of the original production.88 One of its managers was László
Békeffi, who performed in the original cast of the Operetta Theatre pro-
duction, and thus apart from being a parody, it could have been cross-pro-
motion as well. Another parody appeared in the Apollo Cabaret,89 and one
after the original run in the second Summer Cabaret of Vígszínház90 [Com-
edy Theatre] (a venue which also belonged to Ben Blumenthal), directed
by Ernő Szabolcs, who was in the creative team of the original produc-
tion. The show was called Halló, Mucsa! [Hallo, Hick Town!] and it was
advertised “as one would stage this show in Hick Town, or maybe as it is
staged already.”91 The finale of this cabaret production was the original Lad-
der-finale of Halló, Amerika!, recontextualised. Thirty girls were dressed as
firefighters, which provided a good “reason” to climb the ladders – making
fun of the abstraction of the original production. The scene and the relat-
ed advertisement was the theatre’s reflection of their original show’s pro-
vincial reflections, which happened extremely fast. After the Operetta The-
atre’s production opened, managers all around the country set aside any
other plans they had for the season. Driven by their local pride,92 provincial
theatre managers also became interested in producing a revue – or at least
their own take on one. It was out of the question that any provincial thea-
tre could host the original production; 93 so they had to come up with their
86 Világ, May 27, 1925.
87 Ágnes Alpár, A cabaret - A fővárosi kabarék műsora, 1901–1944 [Show catalogue of
the cabarets of Budapest, 1901–1944] (Budapest: MSZI, 1978), 459.
88 The venue of Vidám Színpad was separated three years earlier to make it easier to
sublet. It had one season only; after several management changes, the venue reached
international fame as the Moulin Rouge nightclub in the 1930s.
89 March 7, 1925. See Alpár, A cabaret - A fővárosi kabarék műsora, 179.
90 Premiered on 4 July 1925. Károlyné A. Berczeli, A Vigszínház műsora 1896–1949
[Show catalogue of Vígszínház] (Budapest: MSZI, 1960), 67.
91 Színházi Élet XV, no. 28 (12–18 July 1925): 9, https://epa.oszk.hu/02300/02343/00570/
pdf/.
92 They were generally considered secondary and artistically behind the Budapest the-
atre scene; a view which is still present to this day.
93 When an idea emerged that the original production would eventually move to Vi-
enna, provincial theatres were not even considered. “It is a custom in England and in
America that a piece tours with its original cast and sets in other major cities. Hun
garian provincial cities cannot be counted because their theatres do not have a large
198
generate interest.86 Despite being a financial disaster for the Operetta The-
atre, the show had an enormous impact on Hungarian-speaking theatre.
Its first (found) parody, also titled Halló, Budapest!, opened in Febru-
ary 1925, at Vidám Színpad.87 The venue was located in the Operetta Thea-
tre, the home of the original production.88 One of its managers was László
Békeffi, who performed in the original cast of the Operetta Theatre pro-
duction, and thus apart from being a parody, it could have been cross-pro-
motion as well. Another parody appeared in the Apollo Cabaret,89 and one
after the original run in the second Summer Cabaret of Vígszínház90 [Com-
edy Theatre] (a venue which also belonged to Ben Blumenthal), directed
by Ernő Szabolcs, who was in the creative team of the original produc-
tion. The show was called Halló, Mucsa! [Hallo, Hick Town!] and it was
advertised “as one would stage this show in Hick Town, or maybe as it is
staged already.”91 The finale of this cabaret production was the original Lad-
der-finale of Halló, Amerika!, recontextualised. Thirty girls were dressed as
firefighters, which provided a good “reason” to climb the ladders – making
fun of the abstraction of the original production. The scene and the relat-
ed advertisement was the theatre’s reflection of their original show’s pro-
vincial reflections, which happened extremely fast. After the Operetta The-
atre’s production opened, managers all around the country set aside any
other plans they had for the season. Driven by their local pride,92 provincial
theatre managers also became interested in producing a revue – or at least
their own take on one. It was out of the question that any provincial thea-
tre could host the original production; 93 so they had to come up with their
86 Világ, May 27, 1925.
87 Ágnes Alpár, A cabaret - A fővárosi kabarék műsora, 1901–1944 [Show catalogue of
the cabarets of Budapest, 1901–1944] (Budapest: MSZI, 1978), 459.
88 The venue of Vidám Színpad was separated three years earlier to make it easier to
sublet. It had one season only; after several management changes, the venue reached
international fame as the Moulin Rouge nightclub in the 1930s.
89 March 7, 1925. See Alpár, A cabaret - A fővárosi kabarék műsora, 179.
90 Premiered on 4 July 1925. Károlyné A. Berczeli, A Vigszínház műsora 1896–1949
[Show catalogue of Vígszínház] (Budapest: MSZI, 1960), 67.
91 Színházi Élet XV, no. 28 (12–18 July 1925): 9, https://epa.oszk.hu/02300/02343/00570/
pdf/.
92 They were generally considered secondary and artistically behind the Budapest the-
atre scene; a view which is still present to this day.
93 When an idea emerged that the original production would eventually move to Vi-
enna, provincial theatres were not even considered. “It is a custom in England and in
America that a piece tours with its original cast and sets in other major cities. Hun
garian provincial cities cannot be counted because their theatres do not have a large
198
