Carnival and Theater
“Many refer to Carnival in Brazil as the biggest outdoor theater of the world. Carnival and the Samba School parades in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have become a great open-air show for sure. In fact when you pay close attention to what happens at the Sambodromo, its culminating nexpression , that is really what it is... theater.”
The above affirmation is at my blog about Carnival in Sao Paulo. This actually is what I heard my whole life. We are at about 100 days from Carnival in Brazil. I decide to ask specialists and see what they´d answer. I asked Maria Lúcia Candeias, Doctor in theater by USP (São Paulo State University) and a Professor in the same field at Unicamp (Campinas University)
As a theater professor and critic of theater with large experience, Is it correct to say " Carnival is the biggest open door theater of the world"? And in this context, would you say, the Sambadromo consolidates this concept by giving Carnival in SP, RJ and other large capitals in Brazil a definitive stage?
Ms. Candeias developed the subject and answered as follows:
If you are thinking of projecting Brasil and Carnival abroad the Sambodromo is of great help. But to maintain carnival tradition I'm not so sure. Brazilian Carnival was born on the “morros” (hills) as the samba itself, It used to descend from the top of the “morros” to reach the central areas of the city playing and singing lots of samba and “marchinhas” (samba to march). People then used to go to the streets to dance to the rhythm of the “batuques” (the rhythm of the basic percussion instruments of Carnival). It was much more democratic and brought together whole cities as still can be observed in places like Salvador in Bahia and Recife in Pernambuco until today.
We must recognize that in cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo there are too many cars and heavy traffic so the Sambodromos have the merit of organizing everything. But in the sambodromo everybody seats down most of the time and watch while those in the Samba Schools play Carnival. The avenue is the stage. If your are not in the avenue you are an spectator. One has to pay for his chair, it is not free any more.
The “fantasias” (costumes) developed a lot in the avenue and after that in the Sambodromo era. Sure It is a very ancient tradition to use a different clothes and disguises during Carnival, as happen in the theater. But in the avenue and later the sambodromo every School must have a theme developed while dancing and presenting itself and so costumes gained even greater importance.
The Samba-enredo (plot-samba), as a samba it is music, but the plot, the lyrics, form a small play like theater short play. The story is presented in the words, music, scenography and costumes - like in theater. They remember events and places, they exalt things history and personalities, but never copy reality or pretend that they present are fictional truth. It’s not fictional as in the theater. Nevertheless, it does make public happy and reflect as all performing arts do.
So, yes, in certain ways it is not wrong to say that Carnival is a big open air popular theater.
visit: www.vencedores.com.br/samba
