Ferenc Molnár

LILIOM

Glowing neon signs, bright colours and seductive music – such is the nocturnal world that offers adults fun and unadulterated joy as they handle the crisp and freshly printed bills. What once were but alleys lit by lanterns, attracting moths and lonesome pleasure seekers, are now streets tempting passersby in neon to try their "Fortune". Liliom is a floor manager at a casino. Luck never leaves his side, which is why many a gambling lady is keen to keep him very close. The glowing light around Liliom can't be dimmed even by the shadow of his own lonesomeness – he knows how to be good enough and create joy for others, yet his heart is empty. It takes the affection and loyalty of an ordinary girl to make the now legendary Liliom exchange the bright lights for something even more dangerous – love, so he, unable to resist its allure, gets married, loses his job and becomes a father. Life throws him one wild carousel ride after another, until heaven itself has to step in and decide what's to be done with such an incorrigible insolent.

A carousel is more like life than one might think at first. Once the ride begins, you're in relentless motion and you must tolerate all kinds of fellow passengers. And sometimes both life and the carousel go round and round so fast, they make your head spin. The famous play by the Hungarian classic Ferenc Molnár is well known in Latvia in Elga Sakse's (1930) translation, and in Hollywood, it has succeeded in opening the wallets of quite a few movie producers – several film adaptations have been made of the play, among others by the world renowned director Fritz Lang. Daile is following the story back to its place of origin – to Hungary, home also to the director Ildikó Gáspár, who has created her version of Liliom inhabiting the harsh contemporary suburban environment.