Marco Nanini premieres ‘Traidor’ in Rio de Janeiro

18 years ago, ‘A Circus of Kidneys and Livers’ premiered, a production that brought together the talents of Marco Nanini and Gerald Thomas for the first time. The work yielded a successful trajectory, winning the main awards of the time and several seasons. Almost two decades later, the meeting of these two icons of Brazilian theater resulted in yet another show: ‘Traitor’, which debuted in São Paulo with a season of maximum capacity, a feat that was repeated in Belo Horizonte and with the sessions at the 32nd Curitiba Festival, which sold out five thousand seats a month before the presentations. After its immense success, ‘Traidor’ arrives in Rio de Janeiro for a season during the month of April at Teatro Prio.

Produced by Fernando Libonati, the new work was created over the last year, based on an intense exchange of messages between the trio formed by Nanini, Gerald and Libonati. Between the premieres of ‘A Circus of Kidneys and Livers’ and ‘Traitor’, the world has undergone irreversible transformations, such as the post-pandemic trauma, the unavoidable digital revolution with its artificial intelligence, the virtual replacing the real world and the democratic rupture suffered on different scales around the world. The text of the current piece was created under the influence of this contemporary melting pot, in the style that consecrated Gerald Thomas.

And the starting point was precisely the previous show, which is revisited and mentioned in some scenes, even though the entire theme is now different. This time, Nanini is isolated on an island, is accused of something he didn’t commit and dialogues with his own conscience, with his ghosts and his reflections on the past, present and future. It’s as if all the action took place inside his head:

‘If there was a cross between Kafta and Shakespeare, then it would be ‘Traitor’, a kind of hybrid between Joseph K from ‘The Trial’ and Prospero from ‘The Tempest’, whose Renaissance mind looks to the future of civilization , forgives his detractors and absolves them’, summarizes the director.

Between tragedy and humor, optimism and pessimism, Nanini talks to himself and his questions, materialized in the cast made up of Apollo Faria, Hugo Lobo, Marllon Fortunato and Wallace Lau.

The production features the visual design of Gerald Thomas himself, with costumes by Antonio Guedes, lighting by Wagner Pinto and scenography by Fernando Passetti.

‘Traidor’ also marks Nanini’s return to the theater, after the pandemic and a period in which he amended audiovisual work. After ‘Ubu Rei’ (2017), his last show, he was in soap operas, starred in the award-winning feature ‘Greta’, by Armando Praça, acted in the series ‘Sob Pressão’ and recorded ‘João Sem Deus’, which has just premiered on streaming. Still during the period of isolation, he created and produced ‘As Chairs’ together with Fernando Libonati, who also directed the adaptation of Ionesco’s classic. This season, the actor also released the biography ‘O Avesso do Bordado’ (Companhia das Letras), written by journalist Mariana Filgueiras over the last five years.

Recognized for the meticulous construction of each character and the appreciation for rehearsals, Nanini recognizes that theater continues to be a vital and indispensable oxygen, which is reiterated by Gerald:

‘Nanini is the most intense actor I know. I have no doubts about what I’m saying. I say this as a director, but also as an author. As I drive standing up, three feet away from him, I hear every breath. I arrive at the hotel and continue to hear his voice. I read the text again, proofread it and do the voice. Nanini’s voice. There it is, the voice. His every breath. What a pleasure it is, even if only every 18 years, to write for it and direct it, having Marco Nanini at the helm is everything’, celebrates the director.

MARCO NANINI in ‘TRAITOR‘

Text, direction and visual design GERALD THOMAS
Cast Apollo Faria, Hugo Lobo, Marllon Fortunato It is Wallace Lau
Lighting WAGNER PINTO
Scenography FERNANDO PASSETTI
Costumes ANTONIO GUEDES
Musical Direction and Soundtrack ALÊ MARTINS
Movement Direction DANI LIMA
Assistant director SAMUEL KAVALERSKI
Production Director FERNANDO LIBONATI
Production Coordination CAROLINA TAVARES