Mephisto

About

A stage adaptation of the famous “career novel”, fascinating for its precise psychological study of a relentless pursuit of fame and the fate of the unscrupulous main character, who voluntarily sells his soul to the regime and the opportunistic society in return for his success as an actor. A story about love for art, obsession with theatre and the lure of golden portals. Above all, it is a cautionary tale about an actor who took acting as the role of his life.

Can we recognise the moment when talent is crushed by unrestricted ambition? How does it feel to serve evil and believe that evil in turn serves us? A story about the strong power of theatre over society and how its ethical message can be swiftly turned into a tool of propaganda. It shows how tricky it is to balance on the edge of a changing world and how easy it is to lose face behind a theatrical mask. The play is also a strong warning that we must never again  succumb to instincts and hatred, even in a time of insecurity, fear and undermined trust in democracy.

The novel, a sarcastic depiction of the rise and birth of German Nazism, was first published in Mann’s native country only in 1956. It was turned into film by director István Szabó in 1981, which gained him worldwide popularity.