Balaton Theater is gearing up for a spectacular season, offering everything from musical gangster cats and enchanting Christmas tales to nature-loving fairy tales and legendary lake echoes. Here’s what you can expect on stage through 2025 and early 2026.
Cat City (Macskafogó) Musical: The Animated Classic Reborn
On October 28, 2025, at 6:00 PM, the Hungarian Rock Musical Theater from Komárom presents Cat City (Macskafogó), inspired by Béla Ternovszky’s beloved 1986 animated film—now a full-scale musical spectacle under the direction of Csaba Vizeli. Original music and lyrics by Róbert Szikora spice up the gangster war between cats and mice with magical songs and heartwarming humor.
The plot takes place in a world pushed to the brink of collapse by feline and rodent mafias. Grabowski, the burnt-out secret agent mouse, heads to Pokió on a rescue mission to save mouse society and the kidnapped president’s daughter. The leader of the cat syndicate sends a rat commando in hot pursuit, guaranteeing non-stop action, strange alliances, budding romances, and dizzying escapades.
Legendary characters like Mr. Tejfel (Tájföl), Safranek, and Lazy Dick (Lusta Dick) return, joined by new faces. Cat City has remained just as popular nearly forty years on, drawing families and fans who adore its zany energy.
Starring Tamás Mészáros (Grabowski), Attila Csengeri/Zsolt Kósa (Mr. Tejfel), János Ondrik (President), Csaba Gieler (Safranek), Gabriella Tar (Holly), Ágnes Kuczmann (Miss Gatto), Csaba Papp (Lazy Dick), and more—plus a top-notch creative team providing dazzling visuals, sharp lighting, and elaborate sets and costumes.
Tickets are $16, $18, or $20 (5,900–7,400 HUF) depending on seat selection. Performances are in two acts, with an intermission, in the Balaton Theater’s main hall.
The Old Walnut Tree’s Secret (A vén diófa titka): Forest Folk and Big Changes
Starting December 1, 2025, the Zenthe Ferenc Theater brings The Old Walnut Tree’s Secret (A vén diófa titka), a whimsical one-act play for kids, with three separate performances across two days. A single ticket costs $9.40, or a three-show season pass is $20 (7,500 HUF).
Set in the forest’s legendary “Old But Good” tree, the tale follows its animal denizens—peaceful until Lili the fly turns life upside down. Will the talkative tree actually speak by the end? And where will everyone end up living once chaos breaks out in their old trunk?
This musical fairy tale gently hints at environmental responsibility: every living creature has a role in nature, and we’re all guardians of our world. Kids experience environmentalism firsthand while falling in love with a motley group of forest friends. Expect a 60-minute performance with no intermission.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (Karácsonyi ének): Music, Magic, and Redemption
On December 19, 2025, at 6:00 PM, Körúti Színház brings Dickens’ Christmas classic to Balaton Theater: A Christmas Carol (Karácsonyi ének). This two-act family musical blends rousing tunes, slapstick humor, and visual razzle-dazzle into a story that warms even the coldest heart.
Meet Ebenezer Scrooge, a reclusive business magnate who considers Christmas little more than the world’s craziest festival. His life, however, is turned upside down on Christmas Eve when the ghost of his former business partner, Marley, pays a chilling visit. As the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come appear before him, Scrooge’s icy heart begins to thaw.
The cast is packed with stars: Attila Barát (Scrooge), Kristóf Szabó (Marley), Tamás Oroszi (Cratchit/Fezziwig), Diána Karap (Mrs. Dilber), and more, including talented child actors from the Kiskörúti Acting School. Tickets are $24 (8,900 HUF).
The Legend of the Tihany Echo (Rege a tihanyi visszhangról): Myth, Music, and Tradition
For February 2026, Balaton Theater hosts the Hahota Children’s Theater and Balaton Teátrum’s The Legend of the Tihany Echo (Rege a tihanyi visszhangról), a charming musical fairy tale running February 2 and 3—again, $9.40 per ticket or $20 for three shows.
Curious how the Tihany echo (the famous acoustic oddity at Lake Balaton) came to be—or what the silent shepherd-girl Aranyanna, the wave-commanding King of Waves, and Prince Tihany have to do with it? The scientific explanation is one thing, but here you’ll discover the “true” story, blending romance and humor in a mythic world.
With an audience-friendly 70-minute runtime, no intermission, and plenty of fun for the whole family, it’s a show that celebrates tradition with a smile.
Season passes go on sale September 1, 2025. Single tickets available from October 1, 2025.
