SZAKONYI, KÁROLY - ADÁSHIBA
SZAKONYI, KÁROLY - ADÁSHIBA
Blank Screen
(1970. Comedy in 2 part, prose. Characters: 5 men, 3 women)
The Happy family are celebrating the birthday of their youngest son, Imrus. Their co-tenant, Mansson has a guest, sort of a fisherman. Mrs Happy is angry with the co-tenant: he is the twelfth guest in the month. Mr Happy tries to calm his wife: they really need the rent they receive, to complement their small pensions. Their eldest son, Dönci arrives, with his wife. They are only interested in one thing: watching TV. Vanda also arrives home, and tries to explain in vain that her life so far had been a complete disaster. When the family finally sits down to the table, Imrus, the birthday boy is still missing. Finally he too arrives. But the problem is that the family is unable to decide how old Imrus actually is. They wish to celebrate his 18th birthday but Imrus is convinced that it is his 19th already. A debate unfolds but the TV interrupts this too: they broadcast the Moon landing. After the dinner the long-awaited crime show begins. In the mean while Imrus invites the co-tenant in, Mansson, who resembles Jesus Christ, to perhaps attempt to transform his family, too. Mansson works some miracles: they run out of wine and he transforms the water into wine, cures the neighbour’s foot, and the so-far crippled man starts to bounce up and down. The Happies do not even realize that an extraordinary thing had happened. Imrus asks Mansson to stop the TV programme. The crime show stops but Mansson works one last miracle: he fixes the TV set. Imrus sadly realizes: not even miracles can help these people anymore.
Károly SZAKONYI (1930-) From the early 1950’s he was employed as an unskilled then as a skilled worker, office clerk and storekeeper. His works were published in dailies and journals from 1958. He could start university with the Minister’s permit but did not finish. From 1963 he spent two years as a grantee at the National Theatre which boosted his interest in writing for the stage, not abandoning, however his work as a novelist and writer of short prose. The already well-known novelist became very successful with his plays, radio and television dramas. He worked for different theatres as a dramaturge and was also active as a fiction column writer. He was awarded numerous prizes: receiving the prestigious Kossuth Prize in 1997. In all his works he portrays the events, characters and typical locations of his times. A mastery of the stage, a plastic, straight-to-the-point character formation and a special form of satirical humour is a trademark of his dramatic opus.