Puppet Theater for Adults
“When I think of puppet theater, memories of my kindergarten years come to mind, so I didn’t have high expectations for the performance. However, the play was brilliant— the actor presented Henrik Kemény’s life in an incredibly creative way, blending humor with just the right amount of seriousness. For me, it was a completely positive surprise, and it changed my previous opinion about the art of puppetry.” – Barnabás Radó
“A difficult-to-handle genius was tamed into a truly lovable character in the portrayal of puppet actor Dániel Nizsai in The Puppeteer, a performance for adults that we watched yesterday in Kaposvár’s Bábszíntér with parents, our volunteer, our development specialist, and the young people in our group. Some of us arrived with mixed feelings, but most were curious, as many had never seen a puppet show for adults before. Our group is characterized by openness—we enjoy and have grown accustomed to unique theatrical performances. And once again, we were not disappointed!
Even the stage setting that greeted us was promising, attention-grabbing, very exciting, and intriguing. The set, assembled from doors and drawers collected from here and there, reminded us of both a fairground booth and, symbolically, the diversity of human life. The doors hid numerous secrets, stories, and characters—whether in the form of puppets or family photographs—constantly surprising us with something new. With incredible creativity, we followed Henrik Kemény’s life, torn by historical turmoil, sometimes in tears, but often laughing.
It was also a great experience to talk with the creator of the play and the leading puppet artist of the hosting theater about the creative process and the making of the piece. We heard more anecdotes and touching stories about ‘Henibácsi’ and the adventurous life of the world-famous puppeteer.” – V. Sárközi Angéla
“To be honest, I didn’t really believe this would engage me in the slightest; in fact, I didn’t even understand why we were going to a puppet theater at our age. I hardly ever went as a child either. But I must admit, it was a distinctly positive surprise to learn about the life story of this remarkably adventurous puppeteer.
It was entertaining, filled with interesting creative solutions, and while puppets did make an appearance in the play, it didn’t bother me at all—in fact, it was funny and highly enjoyable. I must humbly admit, once again, it was a great choice. I’ve rarely experienced anything like this, but next time, I’ll gladly go again (as long as the performance is at least half as good as this one!).” – Kozma László
