The musical Beetlejuice is in Brazil for the second time! After winning three different awards for “Best Foreign Musical”, the play returned to the Rio de Janeiro stage and has just premiered in São Paulo.
Our favorite ghost’s comeback was marked again with the return of actor Eduardo Sterblitch, and new to the cast we have the Bibi Ferreira Award nominated, Pâmela Rossini as the most gothic teenager in limbo Lydia Deetz.
Another new addition to the cast is actor Fabrizio Gorziza, who regularly plays Charles Deetz, Lydia’s father, but also performs as a Beetlejuice understudy. This isn’t the first time Sterblitch and Gorziza have shared a role, as they both also played Mrs. Doubtfire in the musical of the same name.
The Brazilian touch in musicals
Numerous Broadway musicals are getting their Brazilian version, such as the famous Wicked, which is in its third season in São Paulo.
Wicked is a good example of how the Brazilian touch works: its first season in 2016 was a replica of the Broadway version, while Wicked 2023 was a non-replica with different sets, costumes, and even numbers. Wicked 2023 was voted by fans of the musical around the world as one of the musical’s best versions, thanks to its completely redesigned set, beautiful costumes, Boq’s transformation, and,especially, Elphaba‘s flight. In Brazil, it was the first time that Elphaba flew above the audience, and the audience went wild!
Another musical that won over Brazilian audiences was Mean Girls. Its first performance in Brazil earned 12 Bibi Ferreira Award nominations. The musical gained worldwide acclaim because actress Laura Castro was the first Black actress to play the lead character, Cady Heron. The same goes for the powerful Regina George, played by actress Anna Akisue, the first Japanese-Brazilian actress to play her.
Hairspray is another musical that is worth mentioning. In its second production in Brazil, Hairspray was nominated for 12 Bibi Ferreira Awards, including Best Foreign Musical, Best Actor for Tiago Abravanel, and Best Actress for Vânia Canto. She also starred alongside my beloved Pâmela Rossini (you can tell I’m a fan, right?). In addition to the nominations, Hairspray won the DID (Digital Press Highlight) and PJB (Young Brazilian Award) awards for best musical of 2024.
What’s on and what’s coming up?
As I mentioned at the beginning, the musical Beetlejuice arrived in São Paulo stages on October 3rd. Also in São Paulo is the musical Dreamgirls in which Laura Castro is also in the cast playing Deena Jones, who is played by Beyoncé in the movie version.
Another highlight is a Broadway classic: Chorus Line. The musical is celebrating its 50th anniversary and returns to the São Paulo stage 40 years after its Brazilian debut.
The next project from T4f (Tickets For Fun) Musicals, producer of Wicked, Hairspray, The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, and countless other classics, is Hadestown. The musical that began off-Broadway and has been nominated for 14 Tony Awards, HadesTown will premiere in Brazil in 2026.
So, what’s your favorite musical that’s been shown here in Brazil? Which musical do you want to see next? All I know is that when it comes to musicals, Brazil is excellent! Bring on Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, BEETLEJUICE!!!
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The article above was edited by Marina di Bernardo Babichak.
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