Northern Theatre Harag György Company

The Brighella Puppet Theatre of the Harag György Company is preparing a new opening: on April 18 at 11:00 a.m., audiences can see, outside the regular subscription, the puppet performance The Story of the Caliph Stork, directed by Gábor Sramó. The Pécs-based puppet theatre artist and theatre director may already be familiar to audiences in Satu Mare, as he previously staged popular productions with the local puppeteers such as The Fiddler’s Son and the Devils and The Adventures of Boldizsár Bárány.

“I love classical fairy tales and the stories of Wilhelm Hauff; I have already directed several of his works. I staged this classic tale using traditional puppet theatre techniques—hidden actors, a booth (paravan), and glove puppets. This technique is usually associated with fairground performances, but as I read the script, I felt that the story contains so much humor and playfulness that this dynamic form suits it perfectly,” said Gábor Sramó.

The director primarily recommends the performance for children aged four and above, but its humor, songs, and oriental atmosphere can also entertain parents.

The production also introduces, though invisibly behind the booth, a young puppeteer. Hédi Nyitrai is a graduating student of puppetry at the University of Arts in Târgu Mureș; she joined the production as a substitute but quickly integrated into both the team and her role.

The magical East continues to captivate the imagination of both children and adults, which is why stories like One Thousand and One Nights and other oriental tales keep reappearing in various forms and adaptations. One of Wilhelm Hauff’s best-known tales, The Story of the Caliph Stork, takes its audience into this mysterious Eastern world. The story builds on the human curiosity of what it would be like to “step into an animal’s skin” and understand their language and behaviour. However, curiosity and acquired knowledge can also carry dangers—an important lesson even from an early age. The Caliph and the Grand Vizier forget this and seem doomed to remain storks forever. Yet, as in life, there is always a chance to correct mistakes—but sometimes, in order to help ourselves, we must first solve the problems of others.

Cast: Tibor Bandura, Tamás Nagy, Anikó Nagy, Emese Bandura, and Hédi Nyitrai. The stage adaptation of Hauff’s tale was written by Noémi Vilmos, set and puppet design by Géza Nagy-Kovács, and music composed by Zsolt Lászlóffy. The technical team includes Csaba Szátvári (lighting), Róbert Fehér (sound), and Zsolt Liegner (stage manager).

Tickets for the premiere are available at the North Theatre box office, at the venue one hour before the performance, or online via the Biletmaster.ro ticketing platform.