Brazil. Theatre. A hospital.
Nigel Wrench writes:
"This is the Brazilian cast, snapped before dress rehearsals last night, of Hysteria, performed for the first time in Britain this evening, already an international award-winner, and on PM today.
The five actors are part of Grupo XIX de Teatro, their performance is not in a theatre but in the 18th century Great Hall at England's oldest hospital, St Bartholomew's, on the edge of the City of London.
The audience is segregated as they walk in. Women sit on the benches you see in this shot, men watch as women become part of the play, telling the cast of their experiences.
All of the actors including Mara Helleno (above) have spent a year learning English for these performances. The cast sang for me last night, in Portugese, and performed part of the play, in English. Paul Heritage, director of People's Palace Projects who've brought the production to Britain, told me this morning that far from being didactic or divisive, the cast "perform with love."
He's on PM tonight too."
Listen to PM
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~31~RS~)
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I look forward to hearing more about this - who will make up the audience, I wonder?
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Gill: Well, Nigel was there, for one ..... ;o)
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If the women sit on the benches....where do the men sit? And do the women in the audience tell their experiences, or the women cast members, while they sit on the benches?
Since it's set in a hospital, I could come and share my experiences of having my gallbladder removed on Friday!
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Is the any chance of seeing some pictures of the Brazilian beach volleyball team as well?
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
.. or alternatively you could do as I've just done and book tickets for the new production of Candide! ;o)
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Thanks for the tip.... Is "Candide" an olympic sport?
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No, T-bird, you're confusing Candide with Can-do ;o)
I'm sure you already know this, but I'll persevere anyway .... Candide is a musical/opera/operetta/extravaganza with music by Leonard Bernstein based on a work by Voltaire, about a young man's journey, inspired by his tutor's wisdom that ‘all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds’, through a world dominated by greed, violence, war, and hatred. It is witty, and the music is wonderful. The new production has been, I gather, a great success in La Scala and Le Chatelet, so I'm really looking forward to what will be, for me, a huge treat.
[I wonder if the ENO would like to upgrade my humble seats after this free publicity? ;o)]
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Thanks again Big-Sis, I see that you've been dipping your toe in the wikipedia pool.
I trust you will enjoy the show, whatever seats you end up in. Do you get song sheets.
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Um, T-bird, no visits to wiki were made in the making of my post, to coin a phrase. though I did have to look up (not on wiki) the famous Voltaire phrase so as not to be picked up by ValP or any other pedantic froggers ;o)
And it is interesting to see that pasted quote symbols translate as question marks.
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PS And yes, I'm sure I'll enjoy it, though doubt the ENO would welcome audience participation .......
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Froggers, pedantic, here, on Radio 4, with the chance of Mr Mair looking in. I think you should wash your mouth out before you step into theatre land
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Well it's all clear to me now - I really enjoyed the item - thank you.
I wish I could go and take part. It sounded a bit intimidating reading about it, but now I've heard a few examples of the audience participation I think I'd enjoy it.
My local supermarket has a Brazilian assistant called Lillian. She is one of the cheeriest women I know. She's always singing, insists on doing your packing for you, and wishes everyone a good day. I always come away from her till with a smile on my face.
The way the women in the item spoke reflected her tone and humour. It was lovely to hear them.
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Gill@13
It's a Brazilian thing. There is one just the same in my local Pret a Manger. Also made an excellent capucino. Really cheered me up for the day ahead.
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I think you may have just explained why those two judges were so enamoured of their cleaner!
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Candide...? Is that Fench for some kind of slightly embarassing fungal infection. Probably wrong, but I don't have any reference material to hand to check...
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You see, I've always said that everyone loves a Brazilian, except that is supporters of the republican party, they seem to prefer a bush.
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Big Sis, UTT, and Thunderbird - Please don't make me laugh again for a couple of days - I need more painkillers now!
I'm doubled up, and it 's not just with laughter ;o)
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UTT: No, now you're being silly. You know Candida Thrush is a small Asiatic bird only ever seen on these shores when the winds blow from the east, while Voltaire's story is quite another beast.
And as for you, Gill, I double forbid you to laugh any more. Go to bed this instant! :o)
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What a classic from Thunderbird - and way over the heads of the moderators :-)
LOL
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jonnie (20) - I could wax lyrical about the attractions of sculpted runways but I fear it would be lost in translation. It's Portuguese for Brazilians, isn't it?
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If it is not lost in the subtle translation between Portuguess and Brazilian, it will without doubt bring a tear to your eye. Or so I'm told
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Hang on, Big Sis (19) wasn't Voltaire the king of the bird-men in Flash Gordon, played as I remember by Brian (no stanger to wax) Blessed
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Big Sister (19):
Surely Candida Thrush was a villainess in the "Man From Uncle" series. Not that I'm old enough to remember that...
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I think you are right. That was a great series, super cool good guys.
The villains always tried to take over the world without once allowing themselves to be distracted by personal discomfort
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Cat: THRUSH was the enemy organisation against which UNCLE battled. Whether it was named after Candida or not, I simply could not say ....
T-bird: Confusing Brian Blessed ("Impetuous boy! Oh well, who wants to live forever?") with Voltaire ("Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities") is clearly a bit daft. As daft, in fact, as the sight of Brian Blessed dressed in Voltaire's breeches .....
By the way, what is a stanger? It looks vaguely nordic ....
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No, no Sis. I wasn't confusing Mr Blessed (...and Nero, keep your head down) with his charactor in a classic albeit far fetched film. I was just making the point that the names were the same..... I think.
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But T-bird, again you are so wrong! The Blessed Brian played a character called Vultan (which I always confused with Vulcan), so a few syllables short of a Voltaire, don't you think? ;o)
Which reminds me. Wasn't BB brilliant in Have I Got News for You? Can't we have him as the permanent chair?
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Big Sister (28) Nay, nay, thrice times nay!!!! I couldn't watch it - he was making me cringe.
On the subject of The Man from Uncle - the gorgeous David McCallum now plays a character called Ducky in NCIS. When his old friend was asked what Ducky was like as a young man, the answer was along the lines of ''He looked like Ilya Kuryakin'' ;o)
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Haha, that was a good line, Gill!
If you didn't see the whole show (HIGNFY), it got crazier and crazier as it went on, but both SO and I ended up in stitches - as did both teams! Madder than Boris ever has been.
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So yet again I am un-done.(28)
When one tries to knock heads with the intellectual elite I is so easy to be exposed as an impostor.
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Oh, T'bird, I'd hope my intellectual capacities wouldn't be judged on my knowledge of cultural trivia ;o)
I've enjoyed our little game, though. And I really like you marque. Very nostalgic!
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You're so right, a great game. It started with the theatre and ended up with HIGNFU via dubious hair cuts and garden song birds. fantastic.
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