Schedule
Károly Somossy, the designer and builder of the building of the Operetta Theatre, was the greatest Hungarian artist of all time. His life could be the subject of several adventure novels. He taught not only Budapest to have fun, but the whole of Europe. The Somossy Orfeum, which opened in 1894, was the place of entertainment for the lords of Vienna, Berlin and even St Petersburg. The future King of England, Edward VII, was a frequent guest at the Orfeum, and sought the favour of the ancient queen of the harpsichord, Carola Cecilia. Somossy also built the Hungarian Las Vegas: the entertainment quarter called Constantinople in Budapest. The operetta revolution of Imre Kálmán, the Hungarian performing arts of the first half of the 20th century, the literary line of our country marked by the names of Gyula Krúdy and Jenő Heltai, and even Hollywood and Broadway's creators drew inspiration from this world.
Budapest Operetta & Musical Theatre
The institution is a two-tiered, true musical folk theatre, which stages Hungarian operettas and their contemporary successors, contemporary Hungarian musicals, along with several literary-historical musicals for youth. It plays around 500 performances a year to nearly 400,000 spectators, making it one of Hungary's most visited theatres today.
It is recognised worldwide as the only operetta sung and performed by Hungarians, with its dynamic music, passion, fire, acrobatic dancing, rich visuals and stunning sensory-emotional storms. When the Budapest Operetta Theatre premiered The Queen of the Cards in Germany, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote: "There are many places in many cities where you can listen to good music. There is only one sure address for the operetta: Budapest, Nagymező utca 17."
The company tours regularly abroad, having performed operettas, musicals and gala performances in countries from Europe to Asia. In the autumn of 2011, the Budapest Operetta Theatre won the exclusive German-language rights to perform Beauty and the Beast, a musical based on one of the world's most beautiful fairy tales, in a close international competition. The Superbrands and MagyarBrands award-winning institution regularly organises prestigious international music competitions.
