Synopsis:
In 1944, Rudolf Kastner saved 1,684 Hungarian Jews from deportation and murder under Hitler’s Nazi regime. He saved more Jews than any other single person during World War Two; yes, even more than Oskar Schindler. Yet history lauds Schindler as a hero and has all but forgotten – or, on occasion, villainized – Rudolf Kastner. Twelve years after the war, Kastner was tried and convicted for being a Nazi collaborator, and then assassinated by his fellow Jews. So is he a hero? Is he a villain? Or are we asking the wrong question? BUDAPEST, BUDAPEST tells the unknown story of this complicated anti-hero and explores the impossible, devastating choices of war.
Though the story takes place in the 1940s and 50s, the show tells a frighteningly urgent story about sacrifice, legacy, and conflict. With music & lyrics by Toby Singer and book & lyrics by Ali Viterbi, BUDAPEST, BUDAPEST asks: what is the cost of redemption? And in these dangerous times, “what will you do when they’re coming for you?”
Videos of musical numbers from the July 2026 workshop at JFest can be found here.
Production History:
- Reading – The Drama League (New York, NY), Directed by Shelley Butler, December 2025
- Workshop – JFest (San Diego, CA), July 2026