19 to 21/ 02 & 25/02 Brazilian director brings carnival to the English stage: The Balcony

31 Jan, 2014

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It’s February. It’s Carnival:
Brazilian director brings carnival to the English stage

 The Brazilian Director, Franko Figueiredo ,  directs The Balcony by Jean Genet for East15 in Clifftown Theatre bringing axé, samba and a lot of batucada onto the British stage.

The Balcony by Jean Genet is a metaphor for our contemporary society and modern world where culture has lost its missionary role and has become a means of seduction. The set is the carnival ball in Madame Irma’s brothel, where customers come to experience erotic fantasies based on image and power. Madame Irma. the owner, involved with the police chief , is threatened by revolutionaries taking over the city and destroying any form of make-believe.  Irma and clients take over the roles of justice, law and order of the country and reverse the threatened order by counter-attacking the revolutionaries.  This is an allegorical piece, full of meta-theatrical references, written in 1957, and together with Blacks , 1959 and The Screens, 1961 stands as one of the greatest creations by Genet.

The strong visual of Franko Figueiredo’s vision for the Balcony is achieved by the carnivalesque costumes based on the ‘favela chic’ style, fireworks, complex lighting effects and the constant presence of Brazilian music: from the axé to the popular and classical music.  The Balcony features 16 actors and musicians. Franko Figueiredo ’s staging is bold and ingenuous and brings a futuristic Brazil where political demonstrations merge with carnival balls. The Balcony has live music by the ensemble cast, set design by Carlos Morais and costume design by Natalie Jackson.

It opens at Clifftown Theatre in Southend -On -Sea 1 London date on the tour: 25 February.
More details dates, cast, images, etc. www.balconytheshow.weebly.com

19 to 21/02 

THEATRE  |  7.30pm | The Balcony (O Balcão) directed by Franko Figueiredo | @ Clifftown Theatre (Nelson Street, Southend, Essex, SS1 EF |    Nearest Station Southend East |   +info: 01702 328335 /  www.clifftowntheatre.co.uk  |  Check the price of tickets.

25/02

THEATRE   |  7.30pm   The Balcony (O Balcão – Carnival’s Time) directed by Franko Figueiredo | @ RADA Studios (Drill Hall – 16 Chenies Street, WC1E 7EX) Nearest Station Goodge St |     +info: |  £10.00 / £6.00 concession