The revamped production taking the stage at the Grand Auditorium includes two new performers who sing and play adufe, along with changes in arrangements, compositions, set design, costumes, light and sound designs, as stated by the CCB.
Before the final performance of ‘Talvez… Monsanto’, a tribute to Ricardo Pais will be held in a discussion with prominent figures in his career, such as set and costume designer António Lagarto, actor João Reis, former Minister of Culture Manuel Maria Carrilho, director Nuno Carinhas, and the president of the board of directors of the National Theatre S. João, Pedro Sobrado.
The event, scheduled from 16:00 to 18:30 at the Sala Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, will be moderated by journalist and theatre critic João Carneiro.
Featuring traditional Portuguese music, poems by Ruy Belo, musical direction by Miguel Amaral, set design by João Mendes Ribeiro, costumes by Bernardo Monteiro, video by Luís Porto, lighting design by Berto Pinheiro and Nuno Meira, and sound design by Joel Azevedo, ‘Talvez… Monsanto’ is supported by assistant director and producer Simão do Vale Africano.
João Henriques provides the voice and narration, with Ruana Carolina managing production coordination and Rui Simão overseeing technical coordination for the CCB restaging.
Musical contributors include Miguel Amaral (Portuguese guitar), Miguel Xavier (voice), Rui Silva (percussion), André Teixeira (guitar), Filipe Teixeira (double bass), Adufeiras de Monsanto—Amélia Mendonça, Laura Pedro, Adosinda Xavier, Inês França, accompanied by Ana Clément and Joana Negrão—and actors Luísa Cruz, Simão do Vale Africano, and João Oliveira.
‘Talvez… Monsanto’ presents a blend of traditional music from Beira Baixa, fado, countryside, and city life, integrating adufe and Portuguese guitar, religious chants, Ruy Belo’s poetry, granite and wind, the ancient and modern, childhood and death, wheel and cross, according to the CCB presentation notes.
“Perhaps the keyword to approaching ‘Talvez… Monsanto’ is ‘cohabitation’, the art of transforming strangeness into affinity, the art of connecting the root of one thing with another,” it adds.
The show is described as “an unlikely (but disarming) meeting of artists, conceived and promoted by Ricardo Pais for a scene filled with constant dialogues between languages, styles, premonitions, affections, and talents”, earning “the space it deserves as a unique product of Portuguese cultural heritage”, according to the CCB notes.
The link between the Beira Baixa songbook, compiled by Laura Pedro and Amélia Mendonça, and Fado is no surprise for those familiar with the director’s work, “but it is certainly a brilliant exercise that embodies the ‘Portuguese-ness’ that Ricardo Pais has embraced since his return from exile in England in 1974”.
‘Talvez… Monsanto’ is a co-production by CCB, National Theatre São João, and Subcutâneo—Teatro Hialurónico.
The four performances are scheduled for the 19th and 20th at 20:00, the 21st at 19:00, and the 22nd at 17:00.
