Actor and actress are seriously injured after falling from a balcony as they performed Romeo and Juliet in Hungary
Two actors have been seriously injured after falling from a balcony during a production of Romeo and Juliet in Hungary.
Júlia Szász, 28, plays Juliet, and Otto Lajos Horváth, 60, plays her father, Lord Capulet, are in serious but stable condition in hospital after Friday’s accident.
Paramedics treated the actor and actress after they fell from a height behind the set during the second act of the performance in the capital Budapest.
Their injuries were so serious that both Szász and Horváth required surgery. The exact details were not shared.
National Theater director Attila Vidnyánszky submitted his resignation on Monday morning, “acknowledging his responsibility… as a result of the accident.”
Hungary’s Culture Minister János Csák has since rejected proposals that the director should resign.
In a statement shared on Tuesday, the National Theater said that Vidnyánszky and Csák visited the actors at Semmelweis University’s Traumatology Clinic today.
‘According to the doctors, the condition of the two injured artists, Júlia Szász and Ottó Lajos Horváth, is improving.’
Júlia Szász (left), pictured during a performance of Romeo and Juliet, was seriously injured on stage with her father (not pictured) Otto Lajos Horváth
Image from the National Theater in Hungary shows a production of Romeo and Juliet
In a statement on Friday, November 10, Vidnyánszky said: ‘…Our Romeo and Juliet performance on Friday was interrupted during the second act due to the accident of Júlia Szász and Ottó Lajos Horváth.
‘The ambulance personnel who arrived in a short time provided the two artists with professional care on the spot and then transported them to the hospital.
‘They are in good condition. For peace of mind, we ask press staff not to contact us with their questions for the time being.’
Vidnyánszky confirmed that an investigation is underway to investigate the “circumstances” surrounding the accident.
He added: ‘We wish our two excellent actors and colleagues a speedy recovery and look forward to their return to the theatre.’
Vidnyánszky has held the top role for ten years, an appointment that was due to be completed this year.
His post was extended earlier this year for another five years, until 2028.
János Csák, the Minister of Culture, also shared his well wishes on Instagram on Monday.
In a post, he shared a photo of himself, apparently consulting with doctors at the clinic.
He said: ‘I was informed about the condition of two actors who had suffered an accident at the National Theater of the Traumatology Clinic of Semmelweis University, where Prof. Dr. Béla Merkely, rector and Dr. Tamás Bodzay, head of the Traumatology Clinic, welcomed us.
‘The condition of Júlia Szász and Ottó Lajos Horváth is constantly improving thanks to professional and high-quality medical care.
‘The ministry is providing immediate emergency assistance to both artists during this difficult time.
“I wish a speedy recovery and speedy recovery to Julia Szász and Lajos Otto Horváth!”
“I wish a speedy recovery and speedy recovery to Julia Szász and Lajos Otto Horváth!” said the Minister of Culture, third in the photo from the left
Júlia Szász is an actress with credits in a number of critically acclaimed Hungarian series, including A besúgó (2022) and Csak színház és más semmi (2016 -).
She also appeared in the romantic comedy Neither with You (2019).
Otto Lajos Horváth has a distinguished film acting career spanning more than three decades.
Horváth also played a wide range of roles on stage, appearing in plays and adaptations of Shakespeare, Gogol, Dostoyevsky, Euripides and Gogol, among others, in the best Hungarian theaters.