Musicals about state formation–an Essay

╭────── · · ୨୧ · · ──────╮

╰────── · · ୨୧ · · ──────╯

Introduction

Hey and welcome each and every SpaceHey user! This year I was fortunate enough to see two theatrical pieces based on different countries' founding fathers: one being Hamilton: An American Musical, the other one, István, a király rockopera. The latter is the lesser known one, since its country of origin is Hungary, but it doesn't make it any less valuable. The purpose of this essay is demonstrating the differences of the two historical adaptations and cultural interpretations.

╭────── · · ୨୧ · · ──────╮

╰────── · · ୨୧ · · ──────╯

Hamilton: An American Musical

One thing about me, is that I can recite any Hamilton lyrics due to my horrible Hamilton phase in middle school. Till this day I did not manage to grow out of it and I rewatch the Disney+ version every once in a while. So seeing this play in person was completely euphoric.

I watched the musical in Hamburg at the Stage Operettenhaus. Just the theatre itself was something I've never seen before. The play, on the other hand, was way too familiar. I've watched the musical so many times at home, that I could point out every slight difference in the acting or even in the translation, although understanding German rap can be quite a challenge as a foreigner. But these small alternations just made me enjoy the show even more. The acting was amazing, every cast member managed to blow me away by the smallest mimics and the songs were so catchy despite the linguistical differences of English and German.

The negatives that I can mention, is that there are parts in the musical, which I found more enjoyable on screen. It didn't ruin my experience, but for example The Battle of Yorktown or Guns and Ships, among other more energetic songs were sort of hard to follow in person.

・┈・┈・

István, a király

First of all, this is arguably a musical. It started out as just a four part album, then in 1983 a movie with the same name was aired on TV, which was essentially just the songs lip-synced by the actors, alongside with a well put together scenery. In 1990 it debuted as a musical with the original cast at the Népstadion in Budapest. Twenty years later, some of the original actors, alongside with some newer faces performed the songs in Csíksomlyó, Romania. It was the movie's 40th anniversary this summer, so in the capital of Hungary, Budapest a new production took place with an entirely new cast.

Since this wasn't the original, it was sort of a let down in some aspects, however there were some improvements that were pleasant surprises. Both the dancers and the actors made an amazing effort at including the audience, making an exceptional atmosphere. What made this production so memorable for me, was the vibe of the audience. Even before the performance began, most people started rooting for their character of choice. During the songs, we were encouraged to sing along, since most songs also include 'the people of Hungary'. My favorite parts were Áldozatunk fogadjátok, which was sung by a woman, Sena Dagadu for the first time; Nincs más út, csak az Isten útja (an entirely different experience when listening to it in person) and probably Baricz Gergő's performance, since I didn't have high expectations for him. Even tough he physically differs Vikidál Gyula, he knew how to interpret Koppány's character in his own unique way.

This production received a lot of criticism, which I understand, nevertheless there is no way anyone could do a better production than the original, so I'd rather appreciate the effort and the hard work that they put into each and every variation of the rockopera. Altogether this was my favorite among the modern productions, alongside the Operettszínáz's version and I definitely don't regret watching it in person. I would say that no matter the production, the songs never fail to amaze me.

╭────── · · ୨୧ · · ──────╮

╰────── · · ୨୧ · · ──────╯

Conclusion

To sum up, the two plays differ a lot, despite both of them being musicals and about a similar theme. The biggest difference socially is, while Hamilton is so well received by the international public, István, a király had a huge impact on an entire nation culturally. If given the chance, I recommend watching each of these plays, if you're a fan of musicals, history or mixing different genres, like hip-hop with musical theatre or folklore with classical rock.

poto gif credits: nessie665 on tumblr

╭────── · · ୨୧ · · ──────╮

╰────── · · ୨୧ · · ──────╯