Disruption in the Seraglio

Serving as the basis for this co-production developed jointly by the Hungarian State Opera, Moltopera and the Kolibri Children and Youth Theatre is the work of Mozart's that was performed more times than any other during the composer's lifetime. The altered name is no typo: the already light-hearted and playful work is being staged in an abridged version for primary school students by János Novák, the director of numerous successful productions for young people.

With the layout of the Royal Staircase making the experience suitably "live and close-up", the children will get to meet the fair-minded ruler, the clever servants who outwit the wicked harem overseer, and of course, the loving couple who withstand every trial. The director brings the fabulous oriental setting to life with puppets, thus bringing the story closer to the children, since these scenes linking together the bravura arias will be performed in Hungarian by the puppeteers of the Kolibri Theatre. For Moltopera's singers, the task is nothing less than to master some of the most demanding music in the classical operatic literature, packed with considerable challenges for even the most minor vocal roles. What hopefully awaits the young audience, however, will be approximately one hour of carefree fun, and a new familiarity with opera as part of the bargain!

Konstanze: Cecília Széll
Blonde: Eszter Zemlényi
Belmonte: Béla Turpinszky Gippert
Pedrillo: András Decsi
Ozmin: Dániel Kelemen
Bassa Selim: László Ágoston László
Puppet actors: Ágnes Török, Károly Szívós

Synopsis

After setting out on a boat trip, Pedrillo, his ever spunky beloved Blonde, and the noble Konstanze, discover they won't get to enjoy the excursion for long, because Pasha Selim's troops abduct them and cast them into slavery. Blonde is made into a gift for Osmin, the grim overseer of the harem, but the pasha wants Konstanze for himself. And the story hasn't even started yet!
Belmonte arrives to free his sweetheart Konstanze, but Osmin blocks the door, leaving him with no other choice but to pretend to be a wandering Italian architect in order to insinuate his way into the pasha's good graces so he can get close to Konstanze, who is constantly dismissing Selim's passionate advances.

The plan is ready: Pedrillo gets Osmin drunk so that he and Belmonte can abduct their beloveds from the seraglio. Unfortunately, everything doesn't go quite as planned, and their troubles grow even worse when they find themselves face to face with the growling Osmin, intent on sending everyone to the scaffold, and the mysterious pasha...