Extremely Hungary is a festival celebrating Hungary, yes. But Jakab Orsós, the director of the Hungarian Cultural Center who has worked as a journalist, television host and screenwriter, knows that festivals are boring.
"We all fall asleep when we hear the word festival," Orsós said last night at the center, just north of Canal Street, where supporters gathered to celebrate the festival's kickoff in January. "And I hate boring art." So Orsós has organized what he promises will be a not predictable and not boring extravaganza.
With over 40 events that include concerts, exhibitions and new plays, Orsós said the ambitious festival will "add to New York culture" by partnering with the likes of Carnegie Hall, The Jewish Museum and MOMA to honor the innovations and artistic creations that Hungarians have made over the past century. Think Bela Lugosi, Harry Houdini and lots of other folks you've never heard of or didn't know were Hungarian.
"When I conceived of the festival, I had a narrative in mind," said Orsós, who pointed out the festival's subhead 'Art and Culture Beyond Your Expectations' on programs that just arrived from the printer earlier this afternoon. "I wanted real art—surprise."
I have to say, however, that when my evening at the Center started with quiet mingling and goulash, for a little while things were feeling less-than-surprising. Granted this was gourmet goulash—prepared and served by French Culinary Institute students—but still, it was goulash.
Soon, after I asked Stefany Anne Golberg, programming associate for Extremely Hungary, about some of the upcoming events, I expected her answer to be as canned as the stewed meat I'd just slurped down in the Hungarian Cultural Center. Instead, Goldberg told me about a moustache contest rewarding the man (or woman!) who grows the best moustache with two free tickets to Budapest. My eyes lit up. Carnegie Hall was impressive but predictable. A moustache contest? Fantastic.
“It will be similar to the Oscars," said Goldberg, smiling as she explained that the event kicks off at Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Williamsburg on Feb. 1 (with an April 19 awards ceremony after folks have had a chance to grow their 'stache.) "What the judges decide constitutes the best moustache will be very unscientific and ephemeral."
Other events fully commissioned by the festival include an underground music festival in the East Village to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and a production juxtaposing Hungarian Gypsy and Black American Music. Later on, I sampled Hungarian cherry soup, foie gras hot dog, and tiny pastries that had looked like miniature hamburgers on first glance. All the dishes were modern and fun interpretations of traditional Hungarian dishes.
As a culinary preamble, the not-boring food that reached beyond goulash boded well for what should be a not-boring festival. For more information about Extremely Hungary events in both New York and Washington D.C., check out www.culturehungary.org.
