VITÉZ LÁSZLÓ TRADITIONAL PUPPET SHOW / VITÉZ LÁSZLÓ TRADÍCIONÁLIS BÁBJÁTÉK – BábSzínTér Puppet Theater (Hungary, Budapest)

www.babszinter.hu

theatre director: János Pályi

author: János Pályi
director: Ildikó Kovács
set designer: Gyula Majoros
live ambient effects: János Pályi

cast: János Pályi

Traditional Hungarian marketplace puppetry features two puppet characters: Vitéz László and Paprika Jancsi. There are no records available
to help us decide which of the two appeared first, but both characters have an approximately 200-years-old tradition.
Thanks to the 83 year old master Henrik Kemény it is still the most popular puppet character in Hungary. János Pályi picked up this tradition,
spicing up the character by adding his own temperament and masterful play that has been recognised at several international puppet festivals.
The mill is haunted by devils and ghosts. They don't let the wheat to be ground. Without flour there is no bread and thus life (in Hungarian the
word life means wheat  as well, which is the most important grain for maing bread) is impossible. The miller asks Vitéz László to drive away the
devils and ghosts from the mill Vitéz. László takes the mission and gets a bag of wheat that he has to mill. The miller is too afraid to go with him
and watch the fight, so he asks him to mill the bag of wheat before he comes back, as a proof of the mill being ghost-free. Vitéz László tries to
enter the mill but the devils and a ghost prevent him every time, and he even has to confront death.
In the end the mill mills again, and a bag of wheat gives a bag of flour. The miller however wants to double-cross Vitéz László and keep his
reward, so László has to teach him a lesson, too. His real award however is the applause from the audience.

audience age group: 0–99 years old
duration: 35 minutes