Ópera do Malandro


Ópera do Malandro is a 1979 Brazilian musical play written by Chico Buarque and directed by Luiz Antônio Martinez Corrêa. It is inspired by John Gay’s The Beggar's Opera and Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera. The play is a tribute to, who died in 1976.

Synopsis and analysis

The play takes place in the 1940s.
Duran, a pimp, disguises himself as a successful salesman. Vitória is a madam who makes a living as a prostitute. Her daughter, Teresinha, falls in love with an upper-class citizen, Max Overseas, who works in international business and benefits from collusion with a pimp and the chief police officer, Chaves. The other characters are prostitutes, presented as saleswomen in a clothing store, and the transvestite Geni, who is frequently attacked with rocks and considered “useful” for such.
The overture, Geni e o Zepelim, tells about a transvestite who is a "whipping-post" for the neighborhood, a fact only told to the audience. When the captain of a zeppelin who intends to bombard the city accepts to change his mind if he has a one night stand with her, the citizens ask her to consent to his desires.
Ópera do Malandro is about persisting elements of Brazilian culture and black market activities, including gambling prohibition, prostitution and smuggling.
All of the songs are composed by Buarque, who harmonizes the music with the lyrics. The songs follow the pattern of rhymed and metrical verses, according to the intellectual tradition of the author's family.

Technical staff (first performance)

Crew:
  • General director: Luiz Antônio Martinez Corrêa
  • Assistant to the general director: João Carlos Motta
  • Scenography: Maurício Sette
  • Scenography assistant: Rita Murtinho
  • Musical director: John Neschling
  • Assistant to the musical director: Paulo Sauer
  • Arrangement: John Neschling, Paulo Sauer
  • Interpretative vocal director: Glorinha Beutenmuller
  • Corporal director: Fernando Pinto
  • Lighting: Jorge Carvalho
  • Script: Maurício Arraes
Cast - in order of appearance:

Tracklist

  • O malandro
  • Hino de Duran
  • Viver de amor
  • Uma canção desnaturada
  • Tango do Covil
  • Dez anos
  • O casamento dos pequenos burgueses
  • Teresinha
  • Homenagem ao malandro
  • Folhetim
  • Ai, se eles me pegam agora
  • O meu amor
  • Se eu fosse o teu patrão
  • Geni e o Zepelim
  • Pedaço de mim
  • Ópera do Malandro
  • O malandro nº 2

Reception

Reviews of the play were positive, with critics complimenting the veracity of its portrayal of Brazilian society in the mid-20th century.