14, 21 & 28 September
2005
StoneCrabs
in association with the Embassy of Brazil in
London presents a series of rehearsed readings
whose aim is to breathe life into the translated
works of international playwrights old and new.
Nelson
Rodrigues is considered one of the most important
Brazilian playwrights. His plays bring innovation
in style, aesthetics and in the approach to
polemic themes. Contradictory and ambiguous,
Rodrigues was one of the most censored playwrights
of this time.
The
raw portrayal of each Rodriguean character,
though it scares us in its uncompromising details,
fascinates us in its continued relevance.
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This series of rehearsed readings
will present 3 of his revolutionary works opened by
a talk from Professor Paul Heritage.
Wedding Dress –
14 September 2005
Directed by Natacha Metherell (StoneCrabs Theatre
Company)
Two women are dead; one in a fatal hit and run
the other murdered. But who are they? Who killed
them and why?
Belonging to Rodrigues’ psychological plays
this tells the story of Alaíde, the victim
of a car accident who is taken to hospital in
a critical state where she undergoes emergency
surgery. Through the press you hear the news of
the accident and the state of the victim. Alaíde
dies. This is Alaíde's story in the “realm
of reality”. The "realm of reality"
serves to gives the audience a linear description
of the story. In the "realm of the memory"
however, we learn about Alaíde’s
story before her accident. Alaíde and Lucia
are sisters and Alaíde marries Pedro, Lucia’s
boyfriend. In the “realm of hallucination”
Alaíde project her fantasies of herself
and her guilt in the story of Madame Clessi, the
owner of a brothel, murdered by her 17 year old
lover. The play’s intricate structure highlights
the complex psychological distress in which Alaíde
lives |
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All
Nudity Shall Be Punished – 21 September 2005
Directed by Tifanny Watt-Smith (Royal Court Theatre)
A man arrives home to find his wife has committed
suicide. In flashback their tragedy forms part of
a tangled web of obsession, desire and death.
One of Rodrigues’ Carioca Tragedies, the tragedies
of the people of Rio de Janeiro. Herculano arrives
home from a working trip to find that his wife, Geni,
has committed suicide. In flashback, through radio
news and Geni’s recorded voice we hear that
following the death of his first wife from cancer,
Herculano becomes imprisoned by his grief and the
almost obsessive grief of his son. His conniving brother
arranges for him to meet a prostitute, Geni, whom
to the disgust of his son he marries. Geni betrays
him with his own son, who in a tragic twist leaves
her for his homosexual lover - a Bolivian criminal.
Lady
of the Drowned – 28 September 2005
Directed by Kwong Loke (Yellow Earth Theatre Company)
Forbidden passions, incest, murder and revenge; how
long can this family keep these secrets buried?
A seemingly mad old grandmother, matriarch of the
Drummond family, predicts the ultimate death of all
her family at the hands of the sea, an invisible character
whose presence constantly haunts the stage. Her son,
Misael, a powerful judge is married to Dona Eduarda
with whom he has three daughters; Moema, Clarinha
and Dora, and a son Paulo. Following the drowning
of their daughter, Dora, the action of the play starts
on the day of Clarinha’s funeral also killed
at the hands of the sea. But is this suicide, murder
or the prophesies of a seemingly mad old woman coming
tragically true?
14,
21 & 28 September
18.30 h
Gallery 32
32 Green Street
London W1K 7AT
Further
details - info@stonecrabs.co.uk
PRESS ON STONECRABS PREVIOUS
SHOWS:
"A
magical, impeccably theatrical thriller...
Director Franko Figueiredo and designer Lu Firth
conjure up the taut, elegant atmosphere of 1950's
Rio beautifully, and in Najlla Kay's the production
boasts a bold, full-blooded performer, fully
capable of holding the fragments of this dislocated
monologue together...
It is a tightly choreographed production of
a wonderful play, the first to be staged in
England, and hopefully not the last" wrote
Lucy Powell for TIME OUT.
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"Critics Choice"
- MetroUK
"StoneCrabs,
superb revival successfully draws you back to
a time when heredity was everything…with
powerful performances and inspired direction,
this fatalistic tragedy is a viewing delight"
- Anneka Dove, New York Times |
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"Down to the very last detail;
the entire production is a delight to behold"
- Emma Whitelaw, Indielondon
"StoneCrabs have brought an intense
and beautifully acted production of Strindberg's best-known
play, Miss Julie, to the Greenwich Playhouse...beautiful
and dramatic, naturally" - Roy Atterbury, Kentish
Times
"At a time when theatre is increasingly
attempting to provide excessive spectacle at a faster
pace, StoneCrabs goes refreshingly against the grain"
Patrick Hayes, Culture Wars
"StoneCrabs
have been steadily acquiring a fine reputation
for themselves under director Franko Figueiredo...who
in this own adaptation, gives us some striking
naturalistic detail and imagery" - Carole
Woddis, Herald |
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"The tale of passion across the
class-lines is beautifully drawn, all three performances
are competent and the socio-economic arguments clearly
portrayed." -
Peggy Leader, What's On
"Cooly Eclectic" - Time
Out
"This is not merely a resurrection
of a museum piece, but a piece of true entertainment
for a modern audience and it succeeds gloriously"
- Hampstead and Highgate Express
"Heartfelf Theatre" - The
List Magazine
www.stonecrabs.co.uk
KNOW MORE ABOUT
NELSON RODRIGUES
