Lloyd Evans Lloyd Evans

The full Brazilian

The Assault/The Last Days of Gilda <br /> Old Red Lion Eye/Balls <br /> Soho

issue 05 September 2009

The Assault/The Last Days of Gilda
Old Red Lion

Eye/Balls
Soho

London in August. It’s the capital’s sabbatical. Theatre is all Edinburgh right now and the London-bound play-goer feels dislocated, irrelevant almost, alienated by accidents of chance and inclination, like a Hebrew at Christmas, a teetotaller on St Patrick’s day, an honest man in the Labour party. There’s still theatre to be had, though. The hunger remains, the unappeasable ache. A Brazilian double bill catches my eye. When it comes to Brazilian theatre — and I come to Brazilian theatre often — I’m more than an enthusiast, I’m a proto-fanatic. My expectations are vast. My sense of anticipation is beyond measure. The words ‘theatre’ and ‘Brazil’ produce seismic eruptions. I’ve never visited South America but I’ve seen it on TV, and with every beat of its voluptuous and exuberant heart, Brazil is pure theatre.

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