Vain or broke?

Why Brazilian theater has become in many instances a one-actor show? Several plays being shown in Rio and São Paulo don't need more than one protagonist to interpret up to 15 different characters or more. Aren't interpreters willing to share the spotlight or hiring them has become too expensive?

Divya Shukla

Perhaps it is a manifestation of an ever-changing Brazilian economy or it is the result of the vanity of self-important actors who don't wish to share the spotlight. Whatever the reason may be, one thing that is certain is that Brazilian theater has changed there is a new style of theater that combines the multiplicity of characters and the minimization in the number of actors.

Cláudia Raia, the star of Nas Raias da Loucura (Bordering on Madness), is certain that this new style of theater isn't just a passing fad, it is here to last. The 27-year-old actress plays seven characters in Nas Raias da Loucura and eight characters in the play Ou Vai ou Raia (a play with the expression ou vai ou racha by hook or by crook using Raia's name). The newfound success of this genre of theater influenced the Brazilian television network Rede Globo to broadcast Ou Vai ou Raia.

In addition to Nas Raias da Loucura, various other plays fit the bill. Camaleoa (Chameleon), with actress Betty Faria, has nine female characters; Como Encher um Biquini Selvagem (The Way to Stuff a Wild Bikini) has Cláudia Jimenez playing all ten characters; Solteira, Casada, Viúva e Divorciada (Single, Married, Widowed and Divorced) stars Lília Cabral in the role of four characters; Tantã (Crazy) is a play with actress Christina Pereira portraying all nine characters.

Tantã has already received a mixed reaction: audiences give it a warm reception while critics give it a lukewarm look. One such critic is director Moacyr Goes who says that this style won't last due to its lack of artistic contribution to the Brazilian theater. Goes believes that this phenomenon resulted from either of two things, the lack of money to finance new projects or the vanity of the actors.

Another director, Sérgio Britto, agrees with Goes. Britto believes that this new style won't last, it is well received by the public because it is a novelty it is interesting to watch an actor portray several characters, but in the long-run it is the artistic content which will make it a permanent part of the repertoire of Brazilian theater.

The criticism hasn't affected Miguel Falabella, the author, director and actor of Louro, Alto, Solteiro, Procura... (Blond, Tall, Single, Looking...) who also directed the popular play Como Encher um Biquini Selvagem. Falabella admits to enjoy the attention brought by the fact that he is the only actor in Louro, Alto, Solteiro, Procura..., but he doesn't think that this is just a novelty.

He believes that the multiplicity of characters allows him to display different sides of his own complex personality. Louro, Alto, Solteiro, Procura... is among some of the most successful recent plays to be shown in Rio's playhouse Teatro Casa Grande. The actor of 17 different characters, Falabella's insecurity regarding the success of the play caused him to postpone the opening night twice.

Falabella said that he didn't expect Louro, Alto, Solteiro, Procura... to be as successful as it has been. The play opened on April 29th of 1994 and has been showing in theaters ever since. Falabella says that the monologues can be somewhat lonely, and in the event that something does go wrong there is no other person to share the blame.

Fortunately the insecurity is gone and today Falabella is even able to improvise during the performances especially since he feels very intimate with the characters he portrays. Falabella, along with Maria Carmen Barbosa, is already preparing his next masterpiece, A Pequena Mártir de Cristo-Rei (The Little Martyr of Cristo-Rei), which is a play about the visit a grandmother pays to her grandson who has been forced to live in an insane asylum by his own family members who don't want him to partake in the inheritance left by his deceased parents.

An avid fan of Louro, Alto, Solteiro, Procura... is director Gabriel Villela. Villela is also a supporter of Falabella whom the director describes as one of the talented Brazilian actors who is a descendent to a long history of talented actors such as the great comic Dercy Gonçalves.

Another fan is Brazilian singer Fafá de Belém, who after having attended three shows promised to bring her parents. According to Belém, it is difficult to show comedy without vulgarity and this is precisely what Falabella has achieved.

Mauro Rasi, author of Pérola, another play on Rio's states right now, agrees with Belém that Louro is an extremely funny piece. Rasi admits that he isn't easily entertained, but that his favorite "showman", Falabella, succeeded in entertaining and making him laugh.

The critics may not advocate this new style of theater, but audiences seem to be attending and enjoying these solo performances. The fact that these plays are bringing the Brazilian public back to the theater and out of couches may outweigh the lack of enrichment that this style may contribute to the fascinating world of performance art.

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