Hungarian Musical-Theatrical Experience in New York

Organized by the Liszt Institute New York a musical-theatrical event by artists of the Hungarian Déryné Programme takes place on March 27, 2026 at 5:30PM at the Hungarian House of New York.

The event includes songs and music, which will be in Hungarian.

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“Whoever drinks the waters of the Tisza, their heart longs to return” – written and directed by Nelli Szűcs from the diaries of Sári Fedák

This musical-theatrical experience, based on the life of Sári Fedák of Transcarpathian origin, presents the actress’s fate and journey, accompanied by the play of Hungarian folk songs and traditional music.

The central idea of the performance is emigration and the never-fading love for one’s homeland. In this, the Beregszász-born Sári Fedák is joined by the two Transcarpathian participants of the production: Nelli Szűcs and, as narrator, fellow Jászai Mari Prize–winning actress Viktória Tarpai. The musical accompaniment is provided by the folk ensemble Zsazsa Band: Miklós Király (lead violin), Bence Pálházi (violin), Áron Sárközi (viola), Zsombor Herédi (accordion), and Tamás Laukó (double bass).

“See in Sári Fedák that true, beautiful, and fascinating, song-filled and rich Hungary—the one that remains the dream of our aching soul. She is our pride, this Fedák, whose face is that of a beautiful woman, a mischievous boy, and an inspired human being; our Fedák radiates to the world all that strangers no longer wish to see in us,” wrote Ernő Szép about the celebrated primadonna of the era in the journal Színházi Élet in 1920. A dramatic moment, a dramatic life path—yet still song, beauty, and dream…

The atmosphere of the performance A Dobrony Rose for Zsazsa, or Whoever drinks the waters of the Tisza, their heart longs to return could hardly be described more aptly even today. This present production, rich in songs and folk tunes, has its antecedent: in 2015, Jászai Mari Prize–winning actress Nelli Szűcs premiered her solo evening about Sári Fedák at the National Theatre, with the aim “to revive the memory of one of the greatest Hungarian actresses of the twentieth century, to acquaint the audience with the details and truths of her extraordinary life, and to offer restitution for all the injustices this exceptional artist endured. An unforgivable sin of the political regime after World War II was that Sári Fedák was sentenced to Pr*son on unworthy and unproven charges, and as a result she could never again step onto the stage in her beloved homeland. When it became clear to her that there was no return to the stage, she completely collapsed, and this state led to her premature death.”

A Dobrony Rose for Zsazsa was created at the request of the Transcarpathian People’s College Association, from the desire to transform the prose truth of the successful solo evening—performed throughout the Carpathian Basin—into a genuine musical and vocal experience, in keeping with the artistic nature of Sári Fedák.

The central theme of the production is emigration and the enduring love for one’s homeland. In this, Beregszász-born Sári Fedák is joined by the two Transcarpathian artists of the performance: Nelli Szűcs and narrator, fellow Jászai Mari Prize–winning actress Viktória Tarpai. The musical accompaniment is provided by the Zsazsa Band folk ensemble: Miklós Király (lead violin), Bence Pálházi (violin), Áron Sárközi (viola), Zsombor Herédi (accordion), and Tamás Laukó (double bass).

A special visual emphasis in the production is placed on the cross-stitch embroidery of Dobrony, featured on the costumes designed by Pro Urbe Prize–winning fashion designer Tünde Hrivnák, adorned with the embroideries of Ágnes Őr Hidi from Nagydobrony.

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Host or Publisher Liszt Institute New York