Budapest’s first experience-theatre, RaM-ArT Színház, is rolling out a crowd-pleasing 2025–2026 lineup at 1133 Budapest, Kárpát Street (Kárpát utca) 23–25. The venue hosts touring and local companies, from serious drama to light comedy, plus classical and pop concerts and kid-friendly shows. It’s built for quality and variety—ideal for a full-family night out.
A sharp, tender comedy takes aim at beauty standards
Friday, December 19, 2025, 7:00 p.m.
A two-act comedy introduces Tom, an ambitious corporate climber who falls in love with Helen, a foul-mouthed, irresistibly funny woman who doesn’t match the era’s beauty template. Tenderness grows, but gossip, digs, and workplace mockery about Helen’s body corrode the couple’s world, testing Tom’s loyalty and self-belief. The play skewers a success-obsessed culture hooked on appearances and asks blunt questions: Where does our own happiness sit next to the image we perform? How deeply do we internalize what others tell us we are? Can we keep faith in ourselves? What does physical appearance do to a life?
Neil LaBute’s satire mauls the modern ideal of beauty and how much people reshape themselves to be rewarded. Premiered Off-Broadway in 2004, it earned an Olivier nomination for Best New Comedy and now lands on a Hungarian stage for the first time. The star is Andrea Balázs as Helen, reuniting with director Árpád Iványi and actor Barnabás Réti—part of the original Tortúra (Misery) team, now set to spark again. Balázs’s comic bite meets her dramatic heft in a role made for her.
Cast and creators:
Helen – Andrea Balázs; Tom – Tibor Pásztor; Carter – Barnabás Réti; Jeannie – Szilvia Lilla Tóth. Translation – Barnabás Réti; Dramaturgy – Anna Varsányi; Set – Árpád Iványi; Costumes/Makeup/Hair – Bálint Katona; Props – Zoltán Nyitrai; Lights – Melinda Pálmai; Sound – Bánk Csutorás; Prompter – Gabriella Csizmadia; Assistant Director – Zsófia Tóth; Director – Árpád Iványi.
Waltzes, polkas, and holiday glow: Christmas Waltz Magic
Saturday, December 20, 2025, 7:00 p.m.
The resident Budapest Strauss Orchestra (Budapesti Strauss Zenekar) returns with a pine-scented Christmas Waltz Magic to continue its Four Seasons series. Expect a melody-rich, high-spirited night led by principal conductor András Deák and concertmaster/artistic director Rita Csáky-Bogár. Buy early—no handling fees, and they promise to shout before the sold-out sign goes up.
Program highlights:
Johann Strauss Jr.: Die Fledermaus – Overture; Tick-Tock Polka; Figaro-Polka; Treasure Waltz; Champagne Polka; Vienna Blood – Waltz; Par force! – Quick Polka. Josef Strauss: Feuerfest – French Polka; Without a Care – Quick Polka. Julius Fučík: Entry of the Gladiators. Emil Waldteufel: The Skaters – Waltz. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers. Plus Imre Kálmán’s Countess Maritza (Marica grófnő) Overture and Franz Lehár’s Wild Roses Waltz.
Menta Orchestra plays for a cause
Sunday, December 21, 2025, 7:00 p.m.
Back by popular demand, Menta Orchestra’s Christmas Charity Concert mixes intimate acoustic moments with full-band power. It’s about music, shared joy, and giving back. Proceeds support the Veled Vagyok Foundation, whose volunteers help children in state care find stability, attention, and long-term support. The aim: nurture talent and interests with individualized, age-appropriate programs year-round, shaping their future goals.
Last Christmas, thanks to Menta Orchestra, kids celebrated in a beautiful wooden cottage, cooking stuffed cabbage together, piling gifts under the tree, and filling the day with games and laughter—the kind of personal warmth they rarely experience. This year’s funds will again create a true Christmas, and also support three more children’s homes and a post-care apartment—whether that’s building a sandbox or supplying essential equipment.
The Grinch (Grincs) steals—and maybe saves—Christmas
Monday, December 22, 2025, 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Pesti Művész Színház–Fogi Színház presents The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (Grincs, aki elrabolta a karácsonyt!). Alone in his Kobak Mountain cave with only Max the dog and a den of gadgets, the Grinch is rattled yearly by Whoville’s (Kifalva) noisier, flashier festivities. When the Whos triple the scale this year, he hatches a plan: impersonate Santa, snare a whiny reindeer, and swipe the whole holiday. Down in Whoville, Cindy-Lou Who (Cindy-Lou Ki) schemes to trap Santa just to thank him for helping her overwhelmed mother. Sweet intentions and sly sabotage hurtle toward collision.
Cast: Grinch – Krisztián Bánhidi/András Borbíró; Uncle Brikettbaum – András Fogarassy/András Borbíró; Ikk-Mikk-Fikk – Dorina Pintér; Ikk-Mikk-Fikk’s mother – Andrea Dóka; Vendor/Townsman – Gergő Fogarassy/Milán Decsi; Max the dog – Bálint Tóth.
Symphonic Christmas Concert Show with Gábriel
Tuesday, December 23, 2025, 7:00 p.m.
The Gödöllő Symphony Orchestra (Gödöllői Szimfonikus Zenekar) teams up with the Farkas Gábriel Band for a luxurious holiday set. Conducted by Márton Rácz, with Gábriel on vocals, Attila Juhász on piano, Tamás Berdisz on drums, and Péter “Bubu” Farkas on bass. Gábriel launched his Christmas concerts in 2002 at Budapest’s Moulin Rouge, often selling out four shows a year. Now, for the second year at RaM-ArT, he brings a fresh jazz trio setlist, plus the full symphony and a guest female vocalist.
Expect Sinatra favorites, heartwarming seasonal tunes, surprises, and Hungarian pop classics to sing together. Every year, the crowd becomes a chorus for Piramis’s Ajándék. Think hot cocoa, pine aromas, glittering décor, and Gábriel tying it all together with stories that swing from moving to hilarious. You’ll leave humming.
The Nutcracker (Diótörő), a glittering dance show
Saturday, December 27, 2025, 2:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 28, 2025, 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Monday, December 29, 2025, 2:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 30, 2025, 2:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
A fairytale dance spectacle reframes the classic through three siblings—Masát, Mása, and Lujza—who slip out of their institution on Christmas to watch the city streets sparkle. After the crowd fades and the children return, angels led by Archangel Drosselmeier gather gifts and conjure a shimmering tree in the hall. Drosselmeier’s magic show dazzles, and a special Nutcracker figure sets a wondrous journey in motion.
