Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Introduction to Volume 3
- 1 The literary historiography of Brazil
- 2 Colonial Brazilian literature
- 3 Brazilian poetry from the 1830s to the 1880s
- 4 Brazilian poetry from 1878 to 1902
- 5 The Brazilian theatre up to 1900
- 6 Brazilian fiction from 1800 to 1855
- 7 The Brazilian novel from 1850 to 1900
- 8 Brazilian fiction from 1900 to 1945
- 9 Brazilian prose from 1940 to 1980
- 10 The Brazilian short story
- 11 Brazilian poetry from 1900 to 1922
- 12 Brazilian poetry from Modernism to the 1990s
- 13 The Brazilian theatre in the twentieth century
- 14 Brazilian popular literature (the literatura de cordel)
- 15 Literary criticism in Brazil
- 16 The essay: architects of Brazilian national identity
- 17 The Brazilian and the Spanish American literary traditions: a contrastive view
- Bibliography
- Index
- References
13 - The Brazilian theatre in the twentieth century
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 March 2008
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Introduction to Volume 3
- 1 The literary historiography of Brazil
- 2 Colonial Brazilian literature
- 3 Brazilian poetry from the 1830s to the 1880s
- 4 Brazilian poetry from 1878 to 1902
- 5 The Brazilian theatre up to 1900
- 6 Brazilian fiction from 1800 to 1855
- 7 The Brazilian novel from 1850 to 1900
- 8 Brazilian fiction from 1900 to 1945
- 9 Brazilian prose from 1940 to 1980
- 10 The Brazilian short story
- 11 Brazilian poetry from 1900 to 1922
- 12 Brazilian poetry from Modernism to the 1990s
- 13 The Brazilian theatre in the twentieth century
- 14 Brazilian popular literature (the literatura de cordel)
- 15 Literary criticism in Brazil
- 16 The essay: architects of Brazilian national identity
- 17 The Brazilian and the Spanish American literary traditions: a contrastive view
- Bibliography
- Index
- References
Summary
The first three decades of the twentieth century witnessed the continued prevalence of the comedy of manners, with only slight attention being paid to the symbolist and psychological plays of Goulart de Andrade (1881–1936), Roberto Gomes (1882–1922), and Paulo Goncalves (1897–1927). Rio de Janeiro’s uncontested role as national center of theatrical activity was reinforced by the stagings of the important but short-lived Teatro da Exposição Nacional (1908) and Teatro da Natureza (1916), and by the opening of its grand Teatro Municipal in 1909. Although there was a significant increase in the number of Brazilian plays written and performed, there was nevertheless little improvement in the overall quality of the theatre, as producers and authors adhered to the hackneyed but commercially safe formulae of the comedy of manners and musical revues. Burlettas continued to draw large audiences; one of the more successful of these plays was Forrobodó (produced in Rio de Janeiro in 1911) by Carlos Bettencourt (1890–1941) and Luiz Peixoto (1889–1973), with music by the immensely successful composer of popular music and theatre scores, Chiquinha Gonzaga (Francisca Hedwiges Neves Gonzaga [1847–1935]).
The better-known playwrights of the time, such as Cláudio de Souza (1876–1954) and João do Rio (Paulo Barreto [1881–1921]), continued the spirit of earlier generations but did not break new ground. Without the hallmarks of Martins Pena’s and Artur Azevedo’s geniuses, their twentieth-century followers failed to give convincing theatrical representation to new situations and character attributes, unable as they were to steer clear of nostalgia and naive nationalism.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of Latin American Literature , pp. 269 - 314Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1996
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