Why Is It Worth Making Theatre?
“I first experienced that strange secret of the theatre under my form teacher, Ervin Takáts, at the Piarist Stage: I stepped onto the stage and became King Stephen I or Péter Pázmány. The experience made me tremble in a way that has stayed with me ever since, and later I would watch with the same trembling the actors arriving at the theatre still in their everyday clothes as they entered through the stage door. I did not understand it, I merely marvelled at the transformation when I saw them on stage in costume. This is why I was afraid of the theatre, and of the college, and I only went to the entrance examination when I had no other choice.” (Pál Oberfrank: “Can One Be ‘Only’ an Actor in Hungary Today?” – Self-reflection on Good Friday. Inaugural academic lecture, 19 April 2014.)
After graduating from college, his path led directly to the Vígszínház (Comedy Theatre of Budapest), where, thanks to his master, László Marton, he also completed his professional training. He soon absorbed the “Vígszínház style” – a naturalistic, conversational mode of acting which, although seemingly light and effortless, in reality demands extremely precise work, disciplined movement and refined behavioural culture. Still as a student, he played Ádám in Ferenc Molnár’s Játék a kastélyban (lit. Play at the Castle), then Vicomte de Valvert in Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac. His first genuine leading role came in 1992, when he played Tony in Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. In this role audiences were able to discover a new side of his artistry: his suitability for lyricism became evident, a quality essential to portraying the figure of the young lover. Here he was also able to demonstrate his outstanding vocal and dancing abilities. Critical reception was highly favourable. Reflecting on his success, he said: “…in the theatre, the story is not only played out front on the stage, but also at the back, behind the scenes. The stagehand Bubu stands there in the wings, rooting for you. And so do the others. The technical staff, your fellow actors – with a single sentence or gesture they let you feel that they stand by you. And from the love that pours over you, you are able to give back many times more than you would otherwise be capable of.” (Péter Kiss: Ober-frankó, Program Magazin, 19–25 January 1995.)
Love and the experience and transmission of emotions, both on stage and in civilian life, are of fundamental importance to him. He is most authentic when he approaches the character he portrays with harmony and affection – even if the role itself is a negative one.
Another major task followed in 1996, when he played Julien, the deceived husband, in Jean Anouilh’s Colombe, directed by Róbert Alföldi at the Pesti Színház (Pest Theatre). With astonishing intensity he embodied the man who realises that his wife is no longer the person he married, and that nothing remains true of their marriage vows. Within this otherwise light-hearted comedy, this was the single truly dramatic moment – and in Pál Oberfrank’s performance it became unforgettable.
In 2000 he was entrusted with another major and significant role in Szeged, directed by Károly Korognai. That year one of the standout productions of the Szeged Open-Air Festival was Imre Madách’s Az ember tragédiája (The Tragedy of Man). Alongside Eve, played by Gabi Szabó, and Lucifer, portrayed by Tamás Szalma, Pál Oberfrank appeared as Adam. His performance was characterised by meticulous, analytical acting, through which he subtly nuanced the figure. As a summer production the performance ran for a relatively short period, yet each occasion was a major success, primarily owing to the outstanding performances of the leading actors.
Alongside his stage work, film roles also found him. Thus in 2001 he played the role of King Géza in Gábor Koltay’s film Sacra Corona. Identification with the king’s personality was made easier by the many similarities he discovered between himself and the ruler – a strictly religious worldview, introspection, a tendency towards contemplation, excessive sensitivity and self-torment. With the help of these psychological affinities and the director’s guidance, he was able to render the role convincingly. During filming he suffered an accident – falling from a horse and breaking his collarbone. His artistic humility and dedication are demonstrated by the fact that, despite his injury, he continued to perform his role at the Vígszínház in Szent István körút 14.
His command of foreign languages enabled him to appear in several international productions, yet it never crossed his mind not to remain a Hungarian actor. However, in the second half of the 2000s his home theatre no longer offered him the roles he felt were worthy of his abilities. He sensed that he was capable of tackling greater challenges, and therefore willingly accepted invitations from other theatres. He performed as a guest at the Ódry Színpad (Ódry Stage) and at the Karinthy Színház (Karinthy Theatre). His energies also extended to founding a local patriotic association in his place of residence, Nagykovácsi. The Nagykovácsi Association of Creative Artists organises programmes and theatrical performances each year. The proceeds are used to support local causes, such as financing the renovation of village churches.
In 2008 he decided to leave the Vígszínház and became a freelance artist. In the autumn of 2009 István Bujtor, theatre manager of the Veszprémi Petőfi Színház (Petőfi Theatre of Veszprém), passed away. The theatre’s artistic director, Károly Eperjes, approached Pál Oberfrank with the proposal that he should assume the role of manager alongside him. After some deliberation, he accepted – and thus a new chapter in his career began. As a theatre manager, his concept set the goal that the theatre should address a wide range of the public with quality, encouraging, and uplifting performances. Managing the theatre, he brought with him the Vígszínház legacy: Zoltán Várkonyi's demanding yet entertaining theatrical ideas. He sought to create a people’s theatre in which artistic quality would be the primary criterion, and he structured the repertoire of the Petőfi Theatre of Veszprém accordingly. Classical and contemporary, Hungarian and international, spoken and musical works alike have appeared on its stage in recent years. Among the great successes on the main stage were William Shakespeare’s Szentivánéji álom (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), directed by guest director Sergei Masloboyshchikov, and Bertolt Brecht’s Koldusopera (The Threepenny Opera), under the direction of Miklós Szinetár. Musicals and operettas also featured frequently: Lionel Bart’s Oliver!, Fred Ebb – Bob Fosse – John Kander’s Chicago, Ferenc Lehár’s A víg özvegy (The Merry Widow), and Johann Strauss’s Bécsi vér (Viennese Blood), to mention only a few. The chamber theatre, subsequently renamed the Latinovits–Bujtor Játékszín (Latinovits–Bujtor Playhouse), hosted more intellectually demanding productions aimed at smaller audiences. Here they staged Jean Anouilh’s Jeanne d’Arc, István Örkény’s Sötét galamb (Dark Dove), and Miroslav Krleža’s Agónia (Agony).
Building on his musical education, he was given the opportunity to prove himself as a director as well. In 2011 he directed László Szilágyi – Béla Zerkovitz’s operetta Csókos asszony (The Kissing Lady) in Veszprém; in 2014 he staged Georges Bizet’s Carmen in the summer at the Margitsziget Open-Air Stage (Margaret Island Open-Air Stage), followed by an autumn production at the Erkel Theatre. Both productions were characterised by precise directorial craftsmanship and strong actor guidance, achieving well-deserved success with the general public.
Naturally, his managerial duties limited his stage appearances, yet for this very reason he has been able to select his roles with greater care. His recent performances are marked by larger-scale and, if possible, even more mature interpretations. In 2011, at the Gyula Castle Theatre, he played Dante in Lajos Maróti’s monodrama A számkivetett (The Outcast), directed by Róza Juhász. Throughout the performance, Pál Oberfrank dominated the text, portraying the Renaissance writer with full intensity as he oscillates between politics and art. His stage presence was so compelling that he scarcely relinquished the audience’s attention for a single moment.
In 2012 he appeared as a guest in Pécs in Ingmar Bergman’s chamber play Jelenetek egy házasságból (Scenes from a Marriage), directed by Károly Esztergályos. Marianne was played by Mikold Darabont, while Pál Oberfrank portrayed the husband, Johan. By their own account, neither of them was influenced by the 1973 Swedish television miniseries directed by the author, thus they were able to construct the crisis of an everyday marriage entirely from their own resources. In this production, which relies almost exclusively on gesture and communication, Oberfrank’s refined speech style and high-level movement culture came particularly strongly to the fore.
Among the outstanding roles of recent years is his portrayal of von Walter in Friedrich Schiller’s Ármány és szerelem (Intrigue and Love), staged by Károly Eperjes. He depicts the chancellor as a man intoxicated by power, wilful and incapable of grasping the consequences of his actions – someone who cannot behave differently even when his own child is at stake. This grave and deeply considered performance is the hallmark of a mature artist.
By way of conclusion, let us cite his artistic credo, which continues to guide his work today: “Even as a theatre manager, I believe that what I wish to achieve may not succeed, but one must try to work in the most human tone and with the greatest possible love, because the theatre is not a factory but a temple. In the world we live in, the king is rather naked – there is no longer time, inclination or opportunity for much lying. So the best thing is to try to make theatre as honestly and as confessionally as possible. Not in order to beat others into the ground, or to demonstrate how rotten life is. It is far more worth speaking about what, despite our sufferings and pains, lifts us up, makes us human, and gives us hope.”
(http://szinhaz.hu/interjuk/43642-veget-kell-vetni-az-iszapbirkozasnak-oberfrank-pal-meselt)
[2016]