For a long time, talking about musical theater in Brazil was practically synonymous with talking about local adaptations of Broadway shows. But, little by little, a scene of local composers began to consolidate, dedicated to composing entirely new soundtracks, made specifically for Brazilian shows.
"I've always been a fan of musicals, and since I released my first album, I've always included songs with a strongly dramatic, scenic, confessional tone," says Danilo Dunas, 36, from São Paulo. He composed the songs for "Revista Babadeira", a drag show that updates the language of vaudeville theater and also one of the numbers for the monologue "Nasci pra Ser Dercy" ( I was born to be Dercy), about the comedian Dercy Gonçalves. Both plays premiered this year and are still in theaters around the city.
The composer is part of a growing movement. In the last decade, Vitor Rocha, Elton Towersey, Fernanda Maia, Daniel Salve, Thiago Gimenes and Marco França have created successful authorial projects in musical theater, in addition to inspiring popular composers such as Ed Motta, Zeca Baleiro and Chico César to also dive into this field.
In addition to them, more experienced names have been venturing into the renewal of the genre in Brazil. Considered one of the main actresses in the segment, with some of the most important leading roles of the genre under her belt, Kiara Sasso ventured as a composer in the children's show "O Palhaço e a Bailarina" ( The clown and the dancer), produced in 2016. Alongside her partner Lázaro Menezes, and with the collaboration by Adrien Steinway, the artist took the first steps in her authorial production, which will gain a new chapter with the premiere of "A Casa das Sete Mulheres" ( The house of the seven women), scheduled to debut in 2024. She says she felt that she didn't have a space in the market. The same impression took hold of Anna Toledo, who started to produce original lyrics with "Conserto para Dois" ( Concert for two), starring Cláudia Raia and Jarbas Homem de Mello, which was running until last year.
Translated by Cassy Dias