Two plays by Ricardo Neves-Neves have just reopened the Teatro Variedades, in Parque Mayer, Lisbon. The texts are not new (one is from 2015, the other from 2017), but the performances – delivered, for the first time, to Neves-Neves himself – are brand new. In ‘Entraria Nesta Porta’ – an entertainment around four major figures in Portuguese cinema (Beatriz Costa, António Silva, Vasco Santana and Maria Matos) takes us on a journey through time to Hitler’s bunker, where Our Lady sent the actors on an assassination mission against the dictator. On stage, Sissi Martins, Manuel Marques, Sílvia Rizzo and Ivo Alexandre give impeccable and chilling performances.
The second play, ‘The Swimming Pool Party’, is a Noel Coward-style comedy with a plot by Agatha Christie. Characters from high society – or supposed high society – have fun at harmless parties, until the moment they decide to bully the weakest: the servants and the animals at their mercy. Ana Brito e Cunha, Ana Cloe, Ana Marta Contente, Filipe Vargas, José Leite, Marta Andrino, Ruben Madureira, Sandra Faleiro and Santiago Galvão satisfy our thirst for fun. Opportunity for a perfect evening, if it weren’t for the case that the new Variedades didn’t have a single chair in the foyer or at the bar. For older people, it’s best to arrive at the last minute, as you’ll have to wait standing up.
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REOPENS THREE DECADE LATER
Opened in 1926, Variedades reopens this month after three decades of closure and renovation work. These pieces can be seen until October 27th. There is also a photograph of Lauro António on display.“THE HEART OF LISBON”
Ricardo Neves-Neves says he would like “Variedades’ activity to help recover this thing between the bomb and the joy that the place had; that it would be part of the heart of Lisbon, a part of the lives of those who live here”.
Source: www.cmjornal.pt
