Antônio Tabet is a co-creator of the widely successful Porta dos Fundos and the creator of Desimpedidos, one of the most popular sports channels in Latin America.
This month, the Brazilian comedian brings his character Peçanha to the Portuguese stage. This “favorite, because he’s recurring” figure is a police officer who, according to the actor, embodies “the hypocrisy of today in uniform”.
The play, Peçanha – Protocolo de Segurança, was set to debut on the 19th, but an additional session brings it to Lisbon this Friday at Casino Estoril. Antônio Tabet will then take the show to the North and end in the South (the full schedule is available in the gallery above).
A kind of Homer Simpson of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police
For those unfamiliar with the character Agent Peçanha, what can they expect?
They can expect the worst and the best (laughs). Peçanha is a walking paradox. A corrupt and politically incorrect police officer who will do anything to combat crime… committed by others. Peçanha is the hypocrisy of today in uniform—a kind of Homer Simpson of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police.
What are your expectations for Portugal with this show?
The best possible. Portugal has always reacted very well to the contents of Porta dos Fundos, where Peçanha has always been the most popular character.
This character is perhaps the most famous of your career. Do you agree? How was this character born, and what keeps him alive?
Peçanha, Mário Alberto from the video [entitled] Sobre a Mesa, and the father of ‘the big blue ball gorilla’ have always been very famous. I had the fortune—and the merit—of writing and living these characters. In Peçanha’s case, what popularizes him is identification. Everyone, at some point in life, has had to deal with a completely unprepared and tragicomic authority figure like him.
Throughout your career, which was the character you enjoyed creating the most? And which sketch did you most enjoy seeing come to life?
Because he is recurring, Peçanha was always my favorite character, but the creation was enjoyable in all cases. There are two sketches I enjoyed doing the most with him: Farinha and Golpe no Rio.
I’ve always been (we’ve always been) sued, but we’ve always won. Freedom of expression cannot have a price
In Portugal, we recently had the first case of a comedian being sued by artists (Joana Marques vs. Anjos case). Do you have any opinion on this specific case?
I’m not exactly familiar with what happened in this specific case, but I am wary of such matters. I’ve always been (we’ve always been) sued, but we’ve always won. Freedom of expression cannot have a price. And it should not be distorted.
What are the limits of humor? If there are any.
And humor, if it’s funny, has no limits. Trust should be placed in the common sense of those who write and in the judiciary.
Besides humor, you have other projects: the Desimpedidos channel, My News, and GOAT. If you had to stick with just one project, could you choose? If so, which one and why?
I would never pursue just one project. It is stronger than me.
