LILIOM
by Molnar, Ferenc
Genre: Drama
Cast 4 male 5 female
Length Full
Set Flexible
Licence UK, Ireland & Europe
ISBN
First presented in 1909 and initially a failure in Budapest, Liliom was hailed in New York in 1920 as one of the rare events of theatredom: a play that gripped the mind and the heart. It is now perhaps Molnár’s best-known play, particularly after its musical adaptation as Carousel by Rodgers & Hammerstein.
The original, set in an amusement park in Budapest, is altogether darker than the musical version: the story of the fairground barker, unable to express the humanity that is within him and whose redemption is not even of his doing but only in the heart of the girl who loved him, is movingly told in simple and direct language and with great compassion.