A darkly comedic play about a missing toy has captivated audiences in New York City. Denevér (The Bat), originally published in Hungary in 2019 and first staged in 2021, recently premiered in the U.S. On March 20 at the New Stage Theatre near Central Park, selling out in advance.
The play, described as a “kindergarten crime story,” centers around a missing rubber bat from a preschool classroom. It was translated into English several years ago by Szilvia Naray-Darvey, and the New York production utilized that translation, published by Bloomsbury. The success of the premiere underscores the growing interest in international theater and the universal themes explored in contemporary drama.
“The audience was enthusiastic, they really loved the play,” said playwright Krisztina Tóth. “The irony came across, they laughed in the right places, and at the same time, they felt the darkness and the tension.” Tóth explained that the play uses the setting of a kindergarten to model the country itself, with the disappearance of a small toy triggering suspicion and revealing underlying prejudices. “Because there is a lot of tension in the United States right now, and strong political divisions, it was relatively easy to identify with,” she added.
The production was directed by Martin Boross, and Tóth praised director Ildikó Németh for balancing the comedic and tragic elements of the play. She also lauded the simple yet complex design of the set.
Prior to the premiere, Tóth gave a presentation at Brooklyn Public Library’s “Night in the Library” program about her dystopian novel, A majom szeme (The Eye of the Monkey), which was published in English last fall translated by Ottilie Mulzet, who also translates the works of László Krasznahorkai. The translator’s work has been lauded for bringing acclaimed Hungarian literature to a wider audience. “Night in the Library is a ten-year-old initiative, it was László Jakab Orsós’s idea to open the library and organize a diverse, exciting program,” Tóth explained. “The halls are open all night, and invited speakers give presentations in different locations. A printed program and volunteers support with orientation in the hustle and bustle. This year, mathematics and philosophy were the keywords, and I, for example, talked about the common features of autocracies, the similar patterns, in connection with my dystopia.”
The evening was further elevated by an opening speech from German director Werner Herzog. “I had never met Werner Herzog before, and now I only saw him for a few minutes, because we were swept away by the surging crowd,” Tóth recalled. “The director opened the event with a wonderful speech. He began by saying that he must have been four or five years old when he was surprised to discover that the units of building blocks gave the same height in different variations, that is, three plus five is the same as five plus three, plus one plus one plus one plus two. This fascinated him as a child, as did the interconnectedness of the world later on, the various mathematically describable systems. Like Leonardo, who looked at the world, examining the forms of nature and comparing them to mathematical formulas, he also tries to project these most diverse phenomena onto each other and draw new conclusions. Of course, that’s just a few thoughts from a long and exciting speech, which offered insight into the mind of a great thinker and artist who is both structured and creatively wandering.”
Tóth also participated in an author-reader meeting organized by the American Hungarian Library and Historical Society at the Hungarian House in New York, and visited a local Hungarian school, where she gave readings and workshops for preschoolers and schoolchildren. Tóth is scheduled to return to the United States soon as a guest at the PEN America World Voices Festival.
