
Eiffel Art Studios · Budapest
20 Nov 2026
HUF 7,000
Tickets
Production
Opera
This production marks the Hungarian premiere of John Adams’ 1987 opera, staged by director Andras Almasi-Toth in the unconventional space of the Eiffel Art Studios – Locomotive Hall. The decommissioned train and industrial architecture are built into the staging concept, with Sebastian Hannak’s design deploying three main platforms that shift and reframe the action. The director describes a dramaturgical mirror across the three acts: Act I as public, objective reality; Act II as inner reality and dream; Act III as private, subjective reflection. Conductor Gergely Vajda characterises the score as a “tableau opera” in Adams’ iconic American minimalist style, fusing amplified strings, big band colours, keyboards, and percussion into a monumental sound. Film elements by Zsombor Czegledi and movement direction by Eszter Lazar enrich the multimedia and choreographic layers. The interval falls mid–Act II, aligning with the production’s structural mirror point.

Patricia Nixon
Klára Kolonits
Premier Chou En Lai
Azat MalikMao Tse-tung
János SzemenyeiKissinger
Istvan Kovacs
Nancy Tang (First Secretary)
Diána Ivett KissSecond Secretary
Anna Csenge Fürjes
Third Secretary
Lusine Sahakyan
Conductor
Gregory VajdaStage director
András Almási-TóthSet designer
Sebastian HannakLighting designer
Sebastian HannakCostume designer
Richárd MartonVideo
Sebastian HannakChoreographer
Eszter LázárTranslator
Minka Benko
Chorusmaster
Gábor Csiki