Valery Fokin’s new staging titled “REX” is set to debut on the stages of the Hungarian National Theater, with performances scheduled for March 10 and 11. This information is reported by a major Russian outlet as the production’s first wave of exposure unfolds in Budapest.
Fokin has previously staged work in the Hungarian capital. In 2016, he brought to life Crocodile, a satirical adaptation drawn from a Dostoevsky story, on the same venue’s stage. The current project marks another collaboration that links the Alexandrinsky Theatre’s artistic leadership with a Budapest audience, reinforcing a pattern of cross‑border theatre exchange.
Valery Fokin stands as the sole Russian member of the International Committee of the X Theater Olympics, an international event taking place in Hungary this year. One of the festival’s early activities will be a screening associated with the competition, signaling a broader cultural dialogue that accompanies the festival program. Attribution: Source: Hungarian National Theater announcement.
The play that underpins the performance is drawn from Kirill Fokin’s script, presenting an imagined future in which humanity operates under a single, all‑encompassing system, yet faces far more extreme historical upheavals. The central political figure links the envisioned unity to a dream of dying in peace, but an android loyalist blocks that escape. The authors describe the narrative as a tapestry of peculiar meetings and intense dialogues that gradually expose the protagonist’s contested role, his private life, and his intricate personal bonds. In the swirl of grand ideas and decisive actions, maintaining a single, honest emotional stance grows increasingly challenging.
The Hungarian National Theatre’s cast complements the Russian creative team, including designer Alexei Tregubov, movement artist Igor Kachaev, video designer Asya Mukhina, and composer Anton Yakhontov. The collaboration showcases a blend of Russian theatrical talent with Hungarian production expertise to realize a large‑scale contemporary drama.
Alongside the Alexandrinsky Theatre, another Russian institution participates in the Theater Olympics—the Bashkir Academic Drama Theater named after Mazhit Gafuri, presenting the drama Jute. The festival’s Russian participation underscores a durable professional exchange in the performing arts between Russia and Hungary. Attribution: Festival programming notes and participating company rosters.
Budapest has previously hosted Russian cinema connected to the event, including a screening of the film Cheburashka, highlighting a sustained cultural presence and audience interest across multiple art forms in the city. Attribution: Budapest program retrospective.