Kövér Béla Puppet Theater presents ‘Sleeping Beauty’ opera adaptation

NewsCulture

Dec 3

A new opera-infused staging of Sleeping Beauty premiered on November 30 at the Kövér Béla Puppet Theater, marking one of the key premieres of its 2025–26 season. Directed by Ágnes Kiss, the production combines live acting, shadow theater, operatic passages, and graphic-novel–style visuals.

The adaptation, written by Zsuzsa Hajós, unfolds inside the Peony Flower Shop, where flowers and objects spring to life to rouse Rozi, the shop owners’ daughter, and retell the centuries-old fairy tale. The performance is intended for children 6 and older, though the theater plans additional evening shows specifically for adult audiences.

Kiss, who has led the theater for several years, returns to directing with this project. She said the piece brings together multiple storytelling techniques and required an unusually layered creative approach. Assistant directors Regina Nagy, a student at the University of Theatre and Film Arts, and Hajnalka Nikodémusz worked alongside her; Nikodémusz also operates the shadow-play elements during the show.

The set, designed by Sára Luca Jeli and built by the theater’s workshop staff, features oversized paper blossoms and a full recreation of a flower shop interior. Actors rotate through several roles throughout the performance. The cast includes Anna Spergel, Tamás Presits, university student Karina Russa, and Atanáz Vatamány of the Szeged National Theater.

Original music for the production was composed by Ádám Brandenburg. The score is performed on a recording by the Szeged Symphony Orchestra under conductor Gergely Dubóczky. Because the staging incorporates opera, company members were trained in regular vocal sessions with Júlia Vajda, a Liszt Prize–winning singer.

The production will also appear in the theater’s monthly adult-oriented Monday series, How Old Is the Captain?. According to Kiss, the staging explores themes such as peer influence, parent–child dynamics, and the diverse range of historical variations within the Sleeping Beauty tradition.

The play is best suited for Hungarian-speaking audiences.