Abigél Featured at the 9th MagdaFeszt in Debrecen

The highly successful production of Abigél by the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj will be performed three times in Debrecen as part of the 9th MagdaFeszt, a festival paying tribute to the intellectual legacy of Magda Szabó. Directed by Enikő Eszenyi, the musical will be performed by the company on September 30 and October 1 at 7:00 pm, as well as on October 2 at 11:00 am in the Zoltán Latinovits Hall of the Csokonai Forum.

Following the guest performances in Debrecen, Cluj audiences will next be able to enjoy Tibor Kocsák, Szilárd Somogyi, and Miklós Tibor’s musical Abigél on October 30 at 7:00 pm in the theater’s Main Hall.

MagdaFeszt, organized by the Csokonai National Theater, will be held for the ninth time in Debrecen in 2026.

The festival focuses on women’s creativity, women’s social roles, and women as a theme in the arts. In addition to performances inspired by the works of Magda Szabó, the program of the event series — which runs from September 30 to October 5 — also features numerous accompanying events.

“Back then, Szilárd Somogyi envisioned Georgina Vitay’s story as a captivating illusionist theater piece, while Enikő Eszenyi reinterpreted Tibor Kocsák’s musical scores with the relevance of the war in mind,” wrote Sára Czentye about the performance.

Magda Szabó’s novel, published in 1970 and still widely popular today, is set during the years of World War II. The story’s protagonist, Georgina Vitay, is unexpectedly sent by her father to the Matula Girls’ Boarding School, where she encounters previously unknown, strict rules and a new community. As Gina tries to understand why she had to be separated from her father and her former life, Abigél, the students’ mysterious helper, plays an increasingly important role.

The play is directed by Enikő Eszenyi; the production also features set and costume designer Gyopár Bocskai, choreographer Melinda Jakab, and musical director Péter Kolcsár. The visual content of the production was created by Gergely Lukács, with technical support provided by Viktor Dubován. The lighting design is by Romeo Groza, the sound design by Dávid Kiss, and the animation by János Madarász. The dramaturg is Noémi Vajna, with Abigél Vizi as her dramaturgical assistant; the assistant director is Orsolya Csengeri, and the stage manager is Enikő Albert.

The lead role of Georgina Vitay is played by Veronika Kozma; other roles are played by Loránd Farkas, Zsolt Bogdán, Eszter Román, Zsuzsa Tőtszegi, Hannah Daradics, Zsolt Gedő, Andrea Vindis, Enikő Györgyjakab, Csaba Marosán, Tamás Kiss, Andrea Kali, Réka Csutak, Gizella Kicsid, Melinda Kántor, József Bíró, Róbert M. Kardos, Júlia Laczó, Róbert Laczkó Vass, Ferenc Sinkó, and Gergő Biró.

The production also features selected members of the Cluj-Napoca Hungarian Children’s Choir: Anna Ciotlaus, Petra Etédi, Tünde Bernadett Halász, Réka Hanako Tálas, Petra Harasza, Eliza Negrea, Klári Szabados-Erős, Rózsa Szabados-Erős, Villő Szélyes, Rebeka Szőllősi, Estella Șerban, Zsófia Tasnádi, and Fanni Zsigmond. They were also joined by: Gergő Fejes, Venczel Lőrincz-Szabó, Áron Molnár, and Bernát Pozsár.

Tickets for the performances in Debrecen are already sold out. Tickets for the Cluj performance are available at the theater box office and online at huntheater.biletmaster.ro.