Rhythms Of The City....

So, a brit bloco is over in rio - and good grief, they know how its done.

Before we made our move to Brazil, I spent years nurturing a fascination with samba and bossa nova - and being a teacher, I loved the way that a truck full of drums could weave magic over performers and listeners alike.

I never got good at it though - and these days, the sensible musician in me is more inclined to keep my hands in my pockets rather than risk the humiliation of hitting something when it clearly should be left well alone.

Rhythms of the City (ROTC) however, took it to another level ages ago - and their brutal rock'n'roll batucada offensive is sure to turn heads - these guys are welcome to hang with Rio's finest (Monobloco, Sgt Pimenta, etc etc).

I saw them (and not all of them either) tear it up with a hall full of primary school kids. They performed to the kids with just the same energy that they would to Lapa's roudiest punters - Shitot.

In another flash of cultural inspiration we nipped to 'nos do morro' last tuesday to watch their musical - 'Bandeira de Retalhos' - a story about an attempt to demolish a section of Vidigal Favela in 1977.

Powerful stuff - especially as the theatre itself is in the heart of Vidigal, looking out onto the very spot that survived the attempted eviction and demolition. Amazing acting and musicianship, in a venue that is a truly special place, representing a really exciting and fresh company - even though they've been around for years.

There ya go - coupla cultural reasons to get of yer arse.

Those Magnificent Toddlers.....

Well, the end of term is well and truly upon us and already there is so much to tell. - The last event before we headed of into the Bahian sun was the show. Here goes, I'll try and keep this brief.

Our two year old gets stuck into his daily grind like all other two year olds. And when faced with the opportunity of becoming Mr and Mrs Worthington, we naturally could not resist.

So we paid R$140 for the costume and R$30 each for the tickets, dressed him up like he's never been dressed up before and headed on down to the 500 seat theater to bill and coo with all of the other assembled multitude.

The theme? Our little bloke and all of his mates were all Santos Dumont. Their year (pretty much half their lives) together had come to this. All of the trials and tribulations of parties and biting and nits and the shits culminated in a fine display of biggles-like prowess as the animateurs we have come to know over the year pranced about the stage with 10 times more aplomb than their toddling charges!

How did he do? - Well, if you were two and someone dressed you up as the father of Brasilian aviation and then blasted music at you as the curtains opened to a gathered herd of paperazzi, I reckon you might do a pretty good impression of a rabbit in some particularly large headlights.

That's precisely wat he did. Awwwww.

(photo to follow - watch this space!)

If you don't take this off soon, I'm going to go mental....

Violinsta no Telhado

(as ever, the real fiddler was in the pit...)

Ok - so I unreservedly take it all back. Broadway musicals in other languages can work. Actually, they can work really well.

One of my earlies memories of the theatre is 'Fiddler on The Roof'. Now I´m not precisely sure when I first saw this show - but I know I was really small (maybe even 2 or 3) - the perfect age to be educated about xenophobia and pogroms. No wonder I turned out to be such a balanced and rounded individual.

The show has popped up to haunt me at various points in my life ever since, and given that it must be 5 years or so since I last saw it, I should have known that I was due for another onslaught. Allbeit here in Brazil.

Ok - going to the theatre here is a big deal and not cheap. So remember to be half smart and not half pissed. Check. Now enjoy the ride.

The biggest difference that struck me the moment the Violin cadenza started, was that the whole thing was going to be at a volume akin to listening intently to an angle grinder at close quarters. Fortunately, the pain soon subsides and it turns out that it is actually a pleasure to listen to a well mixed sound where I can actually here everything. (even if it was like being at some kind of quasi stadium style broadwayesque production)

The band were great, and the cast totally convincing throughout. I was really moved - and I have to say that once you know the story, I don't suppose it matters what language they´re speaking.

At the interval I went and stared into the orchestra pit and exchanged a smile with a couple of the players. To me that place will always be the engine room of the theatre. I couldn´t help but feel a smidgen of envy.

I swear I´m getting softer by the day.



Do you love me? Do I bollocks.

anyhow, if you want to go then click here...