Written by Ferenc Molnar Adapted by the Flying Carpet Theatre Co.

Written in 1909 by the renowned Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnar, Liliom deals in life, death, and dilemmas of mythic proportions, as it follows a kitchen maid’s doomed love for the title character, a swaggering and charismatic Carnival barker. American audiences will recognize Liliom as the play that Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted into their celebrated musical, Carousel.

The Play

After Liliom’s global success nearly a hundred years ago, Molnar became the most famous and successful Hungarian playwright of his era. Since then, several theatrical and film versions of Liliom have appeared, notably a 1940 Broadway production with Burgess Meredith, Ingrid Bergman, and Elia Kazan, as well as a cinematic interpretation by the German auteur Fritz Lang.

So gripping was Molnar’s play that both Puccini and Gershwin approached him about setting it to music. He ultimately allowed Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II to adapt his play,resulting in the successful and critically acclaimed musical, Carousel. Rarely staged in America, Molnar’s original play, Liliom, still crackles with vitality and a timeless understanding of romantic relationships.

The Plot

In turn-of-the-twentieth-century Budapest, the carefree carnival barker Liliom captivates and marries the beautiful, willful Julie. Liliom loses his job just as he learns that Julie is pregnant. Desperate to provide a decent life for his family, he abets a robbery. When he’s caught in the act and faced with the certainty of prison, he takes his own life and is magically sent to “The Beyond.” Sixteen years pass on earth, and a Celestial Magistrate allows Liliom to return home for one day to reconcile his unfinished business. Disguised as a beggar, Liliom visits the teenage daughter he never knew and the wife he disappointed. The final scene, a dramatic high wire act, balances love, forgiveness, and redemption.

Vitals

Written by Ferenc Molnar Directed by Adam Koplan

Featuring designs by James Aitken and Tara Webb, music composed and performed Michael McQuilken, and a cast that includes Chris Ferry, Mary Jane Gibson, Matt Orduna, Tinia Orduna, Hilda Seidman, and Matt Seidman.

World Premiere

August 11, 2006

7 Stages, 1105 Euclid Ave Atlanta, GA 30307