jazz-opera

Co-production between the METTRIN Arts Center and the Maladype Theatre

Translator: Léna Megyeri
Director: Zoltán Balázs

Zoltán Balázs is staging the Hungarian premiere of Can Themba’s classic The Suit, based on Mothobi Mutloatse’s adaptation. The contemporary jazz opera, which will open on the 26th of June 2026, is composed by Adrián Kovács. This new musical work, which blends elements of jazz with classical opera traditions and is based on an adaptation and libretto of a short story by one of world literature's best-known South African authors, is a collaboration between METTRIN and Maladype and will serve as the opening performance of the Louis Armstrong International Jazz Festival. Following its premiere in Bánk at the end of June, this multidisciplinary production will also be presented in Gyula at the World Literature Classics Festival and in Budapest as part of the Városmajor Open-air Theatre, Szemle Plusz competition program.

Director Zoltán Balázs, following in the footsteps of Peter Brook—who was the first to stage Themba’s masterpiece in Europe—promises a gradually unfolding, associative performance that defends the order of the irrational universe through the power of humor and the absurd. The relevance of this work, rich in surreal elements, stems from a broad understanding of domestic violence and social division. The director’s vision, built on exceptional dramaturgy, creates the unique world of this jazz opera—based on the interplay of the characters that unfolds in detail—through content-form units formulated in a special way and verbal, vocal, acoustic, and visual impulses manifested in creative combinations. Composer Adrián Kovács’s score, blending the Afro-jazz rhythms of marabi, mbaganga, and kwela with European and Hungarian sounds, organically underpins the disharmonious world envisioned by the writer and director.

The story of The Suit is set in Sophiatown, a neighborhood in Johannesburg that was destroyed by the apartheid regime in the 1950s. This powerful and tragic story explores themes of love, betrayal, revenge, dignity, and oppression, revealing the psychological effects of a system that denies its members humanity and freedom. The story, brought to life on a stage of shifting states and dynamic imagery, centers on Philemon (Barna Bányai Kelemen), the dutiful husband who catches his wife with a young man. Instead of confrontation and separation, he forces Matilda (Csilla Radnay) to treat the suit left behind by her lover (Ferenc Fehér) as a guest of honor, thereby fueling various forms of emotional abuse.

The theme and the complexity of the performance, built on subtle nuances, define the unique relationship between the text, music, movement, set design, costumes, and lighting design, giving it a message relevant even today.

It is a gem of South African literature, which has been translated into several languages and adapted in various forms, including an adaptation by Mothobi Mutloatse and Barney Simon at the legendary Market Theatre in Johannesburg in 1994, and later in 2004 at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, in a French translation by Peter Brook, Marie-Hélène Estienne, and Franck Krawczyk. The jazz-opera version of The Suit, performed in 2026, will be a world premiere.

Cast:
Matilda: Csilla Radnay
Philemon: Barna Bányai Kelemen
K.K./A Suit: Ferenc Fehér

Orchestra:
piano: András Szép
guitar:Szabolcs Dörnyei/ Balázs Rodek
percussions, drums: Benedek Kárpáti
saxophone,flute: Balázs Rabóczki
bass: Tamás Gyányi

Creators:
Director: Zoltán Balázs
Libretto: Zoltán Balázs
Dramaturg: Zsolt Lukács
Consultant: Mothobi Mutloatse
Set designer: Zoltán Balázs
Scenist: János Katona-Koós
Costume designer: Daniella Sovány
Composer: Adrián Kovács
Music Director: András Szép
Adviser: Gábriel Gábor Farkas
Motion: Zoltán Balázs
Hungarian text: Léna Megyeri
Production Manager: Katalin Balázs, Szilvia Tomek-Hohner
Creative Producer: Sylvia Huszár
Executive Producers: Ferenc Karacs, Julianna Zagyva-Karacs

Opening Night:
26 June, 2026, METTRIN Arts Center, Bánk, Hungary

Duration: 85 minutes
English-language jazz-opera with Hungarian subtitles

Tour:
Városmajor Open-air Theatre, Szemle Plusz competition, Budapest - 2026
World Literature Classics Festival, Gyula - 2026

The Suit is presented by arrangement with DALRO (Pty) Limited, www.dalro.co.za

In partnership with the Joburg City Theatres, Johannesburg, the World Literature Classics Festival in Gyula, SzemlePlusz - Hungarian Showcase in Budapest.

Supported by KIM, NKA-National Cultural Found (Hungary), Swing Jazz Culture Foundation, Tó Hotel Kft., UNI-INVEST Kft.