Siófok’s theater scene hums all year: classics, comedies, musicals, and contemporary pieces rotate through the city’s stages, bringing big-name actors, acclaimed troupes, and a full-spectrum cultural recharge for every age. On the Balaton shore, these nights feel like memories in the making, with programs ranging from intimate monologues to raucous ensemble farce.
Károly Rékasi Opens With a Stark Márai Portrait
January 22, Thursday, 18:00 — Hungarian Culture Day turns reflective with Károly Rékasi’s one-part, 60-minute Lélekablak – A szabadság ára, drawn from the writings of Sándor Márai. The performance dives into the post-1948 years that sealed off a decade of triumph between the wars, when the writer found himself exiled from readers, history, language, and home. The piece channels the inner wrestling of a steadfast, uncompromising mind confronting the collapse of a bourgeois way of life and the erosion—then erasure—of its values. Who is he writing for? Why keep going? It becomes a stage-map of a conscience fighting homesickness that never fully loosens its grip, and a hymn—tender, aching—to love of country and anxious hope for the future of Hungarian identity. Compiled by Gábor Koltay with music editing by Zoltán Tóth; performed by Károly Rékasi.
Four Friends, One Villa, and a Musical Meltdown
January 24, Saturday, 19:00 — Lánybúcsú, the new musical from Liliom Produkció, traps four childhood friends in their 40s—Alíz, Bella, Petra, Laura—inside a Balaton Uplands villa for a last-fling bachelorette weekend. Only problem: the actress mom who owns the house and Erzsike, the housekeeper who’s practically family, know nothing about it. Uninvited guests tumble in, plus guests-of-guests and wild-card arrivals nobody expected (or secretly hoped would show). Champagne pops, drinks multiply, secrets spill, and Laura’s cake only complicates everything. The women—boosted by Erzsike—futilely try to untangle the mess until András arrives to smooth the chaos. The show leans on the beloved songs of László “Cipő” Bódi and Republic; expect Repül a bálna, Szállj el kismadár, and Neked könnyű lehet among other hits. Cast: Andrea Sztárek (Nóra), Marika Oszvald (Erzsike), Petra Haumann (Petra), Andrea Bozó (Alíz), Piroska Kokas (Bella), Bernadett Tunyogi (Laura), Kornél Pusztaszeri (András). Creators: concept by Liliom Produkció, written by Andrea Sztárek, dramaturgy by Paula Barbinek, choreography by Gábor Bakó, costumes by Anikó Ungár, set by Péter Szvatek, arrangement by Viktor Maráth, sound by György Csomor, lights by András “Szőke” Váradi, coach Adrienn Fehér, directed by Rita Tallós.
Loveshake: A Relationship, Remixed
January 26, Monday, 19:00 — Imre Kálmán Cultural Center, theater hall. Delta Produkció brings Loveshake with Judit Rezes and Győző Szabó, a real-life relationship story turned stage event, spiked with music, dance, kids, marriage, and even a matchstick Olympics. The pair trace the arc of their life together through popular songs and sharp choreography—funny, raw, and bittersweet. It’s a playful, painful mirror held up both to their story and ours, where truth and fiction blur. Performers: Judit Rezes (Jászai Mari Award-winning actress, ballet dancer; member of the Katona József Theatre) and Győző Szabó (Jászai Mari Award-winning actor). Team: dramaturg Éva Enyedi, lyrics Zsolt Máthé, music director Péter Wagner-Puskás, choreography Sándor Kurucz and György Lehoczky, table music László Sáry; band: Péter Wagner-Puskás, Norbert Kovács, Márk Miskolczi. Producers: Delta Produkció, Judit Rezes, Győző Szabó; co-producer NUBU. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” — Mark Twain.
Breakfast? Not So Fast
January 28, 19:00 — Karinthy Theatre (Karinthy Színház) plays Why Not Stay for Breakfast? (Miért nem marad reggelire?), a romantic comedy laced with empathy, tolerance, fidelity, responsibility, and the awkward dance of two colliding cultures—or lack of culture. A middle-aged man meets a young woman at a very unusual moment; Ray Cooney’s hallmark humor, self-irony, wisdom, and warmth do the rest. Cast: Ádám Lux (George), Mara Dobra (Louise), Norbert Mohácsi (Davey), Vivien Koltai (Girl). Directed by József Kiss; set and costumes by Ildikó Balla; translated by Tamás Ungvári. Duration: 125 minutes, two acts.
High-Seas Trouble for Rumini
January 31, Saturday, 10:30 — Pesti Művész Színház presents Rumini on Ferrit Island (Rumini Ferrit-szigeten), a two-part musical tale recommended from age four. Rumini and crew slam into danger on Ferrit Island, where the island’s wicked mistress sets a lethal trap. Only cunning, invention, and self-sacrificing courage can break them out. Cast includes: Mátyás Kovács/Kristóf Uwe Berecz (Rumini), Kristóf Vajda/Gergő Fogarassy (Balikó), Viki Pászthy/Zsófi Gergelyfy (Csincsili), Roland Öller/Marci Budai (Captain), Lilla Kecskeméti/Ádám Lévai (Dundi Bandi), Andi Dóka/Erika Gyenis (Molyra), Zsófi Gergelyfy/Nóra Nemcsók (Peonza), László Egri/András Fogarassy (Ferrit King), plus an ensemble led by Dorina Pintér. Set: G. Péter Halász; music: Imre Harmath; lyrics: László Lénárt; costumes: Mária Reidinger; directed by Csilla Bereczki; written by Judit Berg.
Devil in the Details
January 31, Saturday, 19:00 — Pesti Művész Színház returns with The Devil Never Sleeps (Az ördög nem alszik), a two-part comedy stacked with barbed banter and tangled relationships. Cast: Dezső Straub (Lord Archibald Cavendish), Bernadett Fogarassy (Jane), Géza Egyházi (Ronald), Gyula Benedek (Horace), Éva Fritz (Ruth), Dóra Köves (Grace), Nóra Lengyel (Patsy), Roland Czető (Tom), Péter Straub (Nick), Ádám Boros (Alan), András Fogarassy/Sándor Várfi (Willibald), Attila Bodrogi (Timothy, the butler). Choreography by Kriszta Ullman; directed by Dezső Straub.
KAP Gets Philosophical, Tickets Get Dynamic
February 7, Saturday, 19:00 — Siófok, Hotel Azúr hosts Dumaszínház: In Time (Idővel), András Péter Kovács’s solo evening with opener Viktor Fülöp. A sprint through lives within a life: how many times do we declutter our things, knowledge, friends, loves? If life’s short, why not rejoice? If we won’t rejoice, why chase longevity? What remains of us anyway? Maybe just a show you should catch while it exists—now. Pricing is demand-based.
A Lunch That Blows Up
February 12, 19:00 — Imre Kálmán Cultural Center. Impact (Becsapódás) by Loupe Színházi Társulat sets two married couples—sisters and their spouses—at a routine lunch that’s become both tradition and burden. But today the air is charged. Phones ping: the head of state will speak. A video addresses the nation: a rocket has struck a border town, four dead, conscription of men of military age is immediate, borders close in 12 hours. The foursome must decide fast—choices that could reshape their lives. Is life without a homeland worth living? Is dying for a homeland that may never be ours worth it? They might not even get out of the room. Starring Eszter Földes and Tamás Lengyel…
