Péter Novák said: the story was also chosen for therapeutic purposes, since facing the story of suffering is inevitable these days. "There was hardly a stronger social-shaping and personality-shaping force than Jesus, and it was his feeling that created the production.

Under the direction of Péter Novák, the Hungarian Opera of Cluj-Napoca will bring Jesus Christ Superstar to the stage, the presentation will be held on Thursday.

According to the Transylvanian portal Krónikaonline.ro, at the press conference announcing the production on Monday, it was said that the Cluj-Napoca audience will be able to see the performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera with guest artists three times in the soon-to-be-ending season, and tickets for all three performances have already been sold out.

According to institution manager Gyula Szép, the Cluj performance would hold its own on any stage in the world. He said: the language of the performance will be English, as one of the goals of the production is to address and attract the Romanian audience.

Péter Novák said: he wanted a performance that also serves the company's development. In addition to the opera troupe, Hungarian guest artists and actors from the Cluj-Napoca State Hungarian Theater will also take the stage.

He added that the story was also chosen for therapeutic purposes, since facing the story of suffering is inevitable these days.

"There was hardly a stronger social-shaping and personality-shaping force than Jesus, and it was his feeling that created the production. It will be a passion play, which can also be considered a spiritual exercise, it will make you think, shake you, shake you up, force you to self-examination, so there will be no pause: this story must take the viewer with you."

said the director.

He emphasized: compared to the "spurred" renditions of the work, the Cluj performance "doesn't contain any blasphemy", the idea of ​​light and a fresh start is emphasized in it.

Gyula Szép also mentioned that they encountered financial difficulties after the Romanian Ministry of Culture reduced the amount allocated to the budget by 55 percent, so the performance was able to be staged with the support of the Circle of Opera Friends of Cluj and MOL.

According to conductor Szabolcs Kulcsár, the rock opera is a challenge for the troupe accustomed to the classics, but there are many possibilities for improvisation. "A big opportunity for the company is certainly the musical material consisting of an amalgamation of beat, gospel and soul music," he said.

According to the contract, 20 performances of the production are planned for the current and next seasons, but this number may increase. After the summer break, the audience can see the performance on September 1 and 2.

In the Cluj production, Jesus is played by Áron Bodor and Endre Sipos, Júdás by András P. Petőcz and Loránd Farkas, while Mária Magdolna is played by Yolanda Covacinschi, Adél Balla and Ágota Dezső.

The scenery of the performance was designed by Attila Venczel, the costumes were designed by Adél Zsigmond, and the choreographer was Melinda Jakab.

MTI

Photo: Cluj-Napoca Hungarian Opera Facebook