Viktor Nagy entitled his induction speech at the Hungarian Academy of Arts, delivered on 31 January 2014, A magyar dalszínház (lit. The Hungarian Musical Theatre). By choosing a title that does not restrict itself to any single genre of music-theatre, he gestures towards the stylistic breadth of his own career. His repertoire includes opera, musical, operetta and rock opera, alongside a number of straight-theatre productions. According to Nagy, the defining distinction between these theatrical forms lies above all in their respective points of departure: “All three genres (straight theatre, musical, opera) are dear to me. The only difference is that in one I begin from the script, in another from the score.” [1]
Viktor Nagy was born on 25 January 1954 in Dombóvár. Music played a significant role in his life from childhood: he studied piano at a local music school, then took up the French horn at the Pécsi Művészeti Szakközépiskola (Pécs Secondary School of the Arts). In 1976 he graduated as a music teacher and briefly practised the profession.
In 1983 – for the first time in Hungary – a music-theatre directing course was launched at the Színművészeti Főiskola (Academy of Drama and Film, today University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest) under the leadership of László Vámos. Despite its novelty, the class was exceptionally small. As a fourth-year student, Nagy made his professional debut at the Móricz Zsigmond Theatre in Nyíregyháza with a production of Irma, La Douce. His choice of play was motivated not only by the human relationships revealed within it, but also by his admiration for his role model, Peter Brook [2].
His second examination production, Doctor Herz, brought him a contract with the Madách Theatre in Budapest. Ottó Ádám first engaged him as an assistant, and after his graduation in 1988 appointed him as a director. Although Nagy had firm ideas about the musical-theatre genre, he nevertheless accepted the invitation to work in straight theatre, seeing it as an opportunity for learning – a chance to test in practice the theoretical knowledge he had acquired at the Academy [3]. Although straight-theatre assignments were not frequent, during his years at the Madách Theatre Nagy had the opportunity to work with such distinguished actors as Irén Psota. She helped ease the young director’s initial anxiety and guided him towards the essence of the profession. Psota supported Nagy as he formulated his own directorial ethos: rigorous preparation for each new production, a clearly defined concept, yet an openness throughout the rehearsal process [4].
In 1990 he spent several months in Berlin as a scholarship-holder at the Deutsche Oper, working alongside director Götz Friedrich. This international experience likely contributed to his subsequent decision: in 1991 he left the Madách Theatre.
From 1 April 1991 Viktor Nagy served as Principal Director of the Hungarian State Opera, where he regarded the resolution of several operational issues as a key part of his remit: placing the technical department under the authority of the Principal Director, improving the efficiency of the dramaturgy unit, and securing an adequately sized rehearsal room. Equally pressing structural and organisational concerns included the absence of assistant directors at the State Opera in the early 1990s. Without assistant directors, productions were effectively left to look after themselves in the long term, and newcomers taking over roles received no guidance concerning the overall mise-en-scène [5]. As Principal Director, Nagy set himself the goal of ‘dusting off’ the genre, loosening and expanding its rigid conventions by freeing it from its strongly aristocratic, elitist character. To this end he envisaged, among other measures, strengthening the theatrical qualities of opera productions and introducing studio performances [6]. He saw the position of Principal Director primarily as an opportunity to raise the artistic standard of opera productions across the board.
Beyond the institutional and organisational challenges of the State Opera, Nagy’s tenure there also marked a significant phase in his own directing career. Among other productions, he staged Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, a work that reveals the extent to which Nagy conceives music-theatre as an integrated whole. He approached the piece as a form of total theatre, one that, in keeping with its own era, anticipates today’s rock-opera tendencies, though surpassing them in brilliance [7]. He adopted a similar logic for his production of Wozzeck, even though its visual language relied on stark, naturalistic elements. “In our production we apply austere means appropriate to the music, using naturalistic elements only sparingly. Our stage evokes an abstract urban environment, informed by the psychological resonances of the music, where people come and go without truly perceiving one another. There is no curtain; the many transitions take place in full view. Only one naturalistic element appears: water, the tragic fate of poor Wozzeck.” [8]
Nagy remained Principal Director of the State Opera until 1993. He applied for the position again, but later withdrew when it became clear that the requisite conditions would not be met, for the limited scope of authority attached to the post would have left him caught between two fires – between expectations and the realities of what could actually be achieved [9].
Although Nagy no longer undertook the responsibilities of a Principal Director, he remained a director at the State Opera until 2007. During these years he brought to the stage – after a long hiatus – Wagner’s tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen, an undertaking of considerable scale, not least because the work had to be liberated from layers of entrenched stereotype. Das Rheingold was presented in 1993, Die Walküre in 1995, Siegfried in 1996, and Götterdämmerung in 1998. Nagy regarded the individual parts of the Ring Cycle as autonomous units, yet he also attached importance to ensuring that the tetralogy as a whole should articulate a coherent theatrical meaning. “We must construct the individual works of the Ring as though it were a three-act play with a prelude, so that the individual pieces are linked in concept and style.” [10] His directorial intention was to depict the destruction of the old world and the emergence of a new one, presenting the audience with a vision of a dark future. [11]
Productions presented at the Szegedi Szabadtéri Játékok (Szeged Open-Air Festival), such as Hunyadi László and Carmen, demanded similarly grandiose staging. Among the works that recur in Nagy’s career is Aida. In connection with the 1993 Szeged production, he articulated the self-effacing attitude – viewing himself as a craftsman – that appears at several points in his career: “I approach it conservatively, in the manner of a craftsman; I do not wish to create a world-changing, self-expressive Aida. I want the audience and the ensemble of performers to feel at ease.” [12] This approach reflects not only modesty but also his ability to handle with ease and flexibility the demands of diverse genres, whether romantic grand opera or rock musical – for his point of departure is always the music. This versatility is also evident in his work in straight theatre and in productions for children. He staged Cinderella within a framing narrative, a production that received enthusiastic critical acclaim [13]. He also directed Shakespeare’s Hamlet in 1994 at the Miskolci Nemzeti Színház (Miskolc National Theatre), viewing the title character as an apolitical figure who, in a world gone awry, feigns madness in an attempt to preserve normality [14]. He returned to Miskolc several times to direct, and from 2002 he briefly held responsibility for the theatre’s musical direction.
Between 2008 and 2011, Viktor Nagy served as Director of the Győri Nemzeti Színház (Győr National Theatre). His leadership aimed to create a diverse repertoire structure that met the expectations of the local audience: in the spirit of artistic complexity, he programmed both classical and popular music productions, as well as straight plays. This commitment to variety also characterised his work during this period, when he staged, for example, The Csárdás Princess and Cabaret.
Nagy stepped down from the leadership of the Győr National Theatre in 2011 and thereafter worked as a freelance director. In recognition of his achievements, he received the Nádasdy Kálmán Prize [state award given to outstanding theatre and opera directors] in 2012 and the Jászai Mari Prize [state award granted to actors and theatre professionals] in 2014. In recent seasons he has continued to work ‘as a craftsman’, directing at the Pécsi Nemzeti Színház (Pécs National Theatre) and at the Katona József Theatre in Kecskemét.
[2016]
[1] Tamás Garai: Kicsoda ön Nagy Viktor? (lit. Who Are You, Viktor Nagy?), 19 March 1998.
[2] “How does one know Irma, La Douce? If one has seen it, then from that; I had not seen it, but I knew that Peter Brook, whom I greatly respect and admire, staged it in London and then in New York. I was very interested to discover what kind of musical could have intrigued him so much that he produced it twice in succession. In my view it is a very young piece, for although its music dates back several decades, the thematic concerns of the songs – the issues surrounding human relationships – are still entirely relevant today.” Színről színre (lit. Stage to Stage), Petőfi Rádió, 25 April 1987.
[3] Gyula Varsányi: Színházat kell csinálni (lit. We Must Make Theatre). Népszabadság, 4 April 1991.
[4] “At first I was very frightened… Irén Psota noticed this and invited me for a private conversation in her dressing room. This several-hour heart-to-heart instantly dissolved my earlier tension, for she made me understand that problems must be solved in a way that moves the work forward. (…) And today I also know that the director’s foremost duty is to prepare thoroughly for the task ahead. One must have a firm idea of the play and the production, must know precisely what one wants, and what one expects and may expect of the actor. One must be able to give instructions, yet also make use of any useful ideas that emerge from anyone during rehearsals.” Ibid.: Garai.
[5] “The State Opera lacks not only a new generation of directors but also the corps that in German theatres is called the Abendspielleiter. This is a position that stands just below the director in the hierarchy. Those who occupy it participate as assistant directors in the creation of a production and attend every performance. They also lead the rehearsals that precede revivals. Here we have not yet developed a proper rehearsal protocol that would ensure that new cast members join with sufficient security. I consider it my task to assemble a team that keeps an eye on the productions.” László J. Győri: Operarendezők (lit. Opera Directors). Színház, August 1991.
[6] Ibid.
[7] András Rajk: Vidám alvilág (lit. A Cheerful Underworld). Pest Megyei Hírlap, 7 August 1992.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Andrea Stuber: A második bicska (lit. The Second Penknife). Népszava, 12 June 1993.
[10] Zöld lézerfények és valódi tűztenger (lit. Green Laser Beams and a Real Sea of Flames). Esti Hírlap, 31 January 1995.
[11] “As for the tetralogy, the conception I hold regarding the destruction of the world and the construction of a new one truly crystallises only at the end of Götterdämmerung, projected retrospectively onto the preceding three works. Needless to say, I do not regard the future of humanity as bright, and thus one may guess what the final conclusion will be. In my view it corresponds entirely with Wagner’s own conception.” Katalin Metz: Wagner Siegfriedjének útja földrészeken át (lit. The Journey of Wagner’s Siegfried Across Continents). Új Magyarország, 23 May 1996.
[12] Zsolt Hollósi: “Nem akarok világmegváltó Aidát” (“I Do Not Want to Stage a World-Changing Aida”). Délmagyarország, 15 July 1993.
[13] “There is no wicked stepmother, no fairy and no lost slipper. What there is: lyrical melodies, arias demanding virtuoso vocal technique, an inexhaustible wealth of rhythmic and dynamic invention, masterly ensembles and sensational musical humour.” Richárd Lengyel: Hamupipőke üvegcipő nélkül (lit. Cinderella Without the Glass Slipper). Népszava, 4 December 1998.
[14] István Biró: “Ha most itt élne, borzasztóan rosszkedvű ember lenne…” (“If He Lived Here Today, He Would Be Terribly Ill-Tempered…”). Déli Hírlap, 15 February 1994.