György Vidovszky’s adaptation of Orphalina (Árvácska) premiers at University of Arts Tārgu Mureş
The School of English is delighted to report on more great work by one of its current PhD students. Orphanlina, a theatre adaptation by Doctoral candidate György Vidovszky, based on the novel of Zsigmond Móricz, premiered at the University of Arts Tārgu Mureş (Romania) on the 25th of January, 2023.
Móricz’s 1941 novel is arguably the most gut-wrenching, yet simultaneously lyrical, novel penned by one of Hungary’s most significant novelists. Orphalina recounts the tragic fate of an orphaned girl battered by callous neglect and greed in rural interwar Hungary.
Móricz divided the stages of the child’s suffering into seven psalms (chapters); and following the structure of the short novel, the adaptation elaborates on each stage of the child's longings for love and their unspoken pleas. In contrast to the novel's naturalistic and socially critical description, the stage version placed the perception of orphanhood in a metaphorical environment in which singing choirs and puppetry play an essential role.
