Tag Archives: Ferenc Molnar

This powerful reworking of Ferenc Molnár's classic 'Liliom' is set in Coney Island during the Great Depression

With the setting as a clothing shop, a haberdashery, what intricate and complicated events could happen there? How could that be a focal point for moral outrage and moral uplift, especially when the protagonist and proprietor mismanages his finances by giving product and money away? The production is an ironic social satire about cultural values, the need for greed and getting over in this revival throwback which takes place in Budapest before the 20th century. It is a time where fashions are beautifully different from our, but the mores and values of "getting ahead despite harming others" are very much like today.

In cinematically convincing atmosphere, the great Hungarian playwright's century-old tale of artfully exaggerated personalities, screwy events, and the heights and depths of human nature takes on a timeless quality.