NÉMETH, ÁKOS – MÜLLER TÁNCOSAI

NÉMETH,  ÁKOS – MÜLLER TÁNCOSAI

 

Muller’s Dancers

(1988. Drama in 2 acts, prose. Characters: 5 men, 5 women)

Ákos Németh’s play is composed of short scenes, which converge in the character of Muller, who does not even appear onstage. The episodes, which resemble film clips portray a world in which everything only exists in fragments, there are no real friendships, loves, relationships, the characters are reduced to a couple of traits only. While waiting for Muller the characters decompose, drift to the brink of society and are struggling to find a way back. The question of fate comes up several times as an option, but the priest, who, in theory, could be their guide, turns out to be a serial killer.

The dance group is permanently deserted by Muller, their artistic leader. Horváth takes over his role, who thinks they should split up. One of the dancers, Erika, who took up a job at a topless bar, is brutally murdered by a stranger in a priest’s robe. All members of the troupe attend Erika’s funeral. Half a year later Horváth, with three dancers from the troupe starts rehearsals again. In the mean while, a member of the group awaits verdict for murder also, while yet another one of them disappears. Love affairs become even more entangled, while they still keep talking about Muller.

 

Ákos NÉMETH (1964-)

Playwright, writer, dramaturge, director, screenwriter. He graduated in 1988 at ELTE Faculty of Humanities in history and comparative literary science. Since 2003 he has been a DLA student of the University of Theatre and Film. For two years from 1998 he was the dramaturge of the Miskolc National Theatre. He published two collections of plays: the first in 1994, titled Öt drama (Five Plays), the second in 1999, titled Haszonvágy (Greed). His plays were performed in many Hungarian theatres, some of them even staged abroad. In 2000 he became the artistic director of the German Theatre in Szekszárd, since 2002 he has been the Hungarian curator of the Bonner (Wiesbadener) Biennale.