Amphitryon

It was the third time Thíasos staged Plautus, after Carlos Alberto Louro Fonseca presented a part of "The swaggering soldier" and Paulo Sérgio Ferreira "Epidicus". This time, it was for Victor Torres, who has extensive experience as a theatrical actor, to take care of the staging, and the expectation was high to see what new value could someone from the theatre bring to a group of university theatre, mostly composed by professors and students of the Institute of Classical Studies. The result did not defraud expectations, because Victor Torres found some brilliant dramatic solutions, although far from Roman theatrical archaeology: for example, the doors made of cloth that shook when someone simulated knocking, while someone else, off stage, hit on plates which made a big bang. Another significant finding was the love scene between Jupiter and Alcmena, in which Bromia covers the couple with a slight cloth. The two people who hide behind the cloth and make it shake also suggest quite well the night shadows and justify, in a very comical way, Sosia’s fears. A good option was also splitting Bromia’s final intervention by three actresses with completely different ways and voices. Since this account spoke of wonders… As for the performances, it should be highlighted Delfim Leão’s, an energetic and coherent Jupiter. Nuno Gertrudes was a Sosia who, with such confusion, almost went crazy. He took a lot of beatings from Mercury and walked with the host on his back, when, leaving the stage, he crossed a river. This scene did not have a great dramatic basis and, when Nuno Gertrudes took time to unfasten his sandals, it was even a dead time. Silvia Costa’s role of Alcmena was very sober and convincing: she even sulked and pouted. In short, the balance is very positive, especially for the quality of many of the solutions found, which allowed to achieve very beautiful effects, without overloading the stage with heavy scenarios.

Paulo Sérgio Ferreira, in M. Fátima Silva (coord.), Representações de Teatro Clássico no Portugal Contemporâneo III (Coimbra, FLUC, 2004) 139-40.

Adviser: José Luís Brandão

Lights: Carlos Santos

Sound: Isidro Alves / Carlos Jesus

Music Selection: Victor Torres

Wardrobe: Ana Balula, José Luís Brandão

Wardrobe Execution: Inês Santos

Props: Ana Balula, Carlos Santos, Victor Torres.

Cast

Paulo Sérgio Margarido (Inicial storyteller)

José Luís Brandão (Amphitryon)

Nuno Gertrudes (Sosia)

Delfim Leão (Jupiter)

Bruno Amaral (Mercury)

Sílvia Costa, Ana Catarina Rodrigues (Alcmena)

Carla Braz, Amélia Álvaro de Campos, Lia Nunes, Susana Bastos, Verónica Fachada (Bromias)

Patrícia Martinho, Sónia Simões, Sónia Freitas, Isabel dos Santos (Extra).