Word: politeama
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Dates: during 1994-1994
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Written and directed by Filipe la Feria; Teatro Politeama, Lisbon...
...OPEN THE CHAMPAGNE and toast Lisbon's Teatro Politeama. The once shabby 795-seat theater has been delightfully done over, and is now the ornate showplace for Portugal's first homegrown musical. To the Portuguese, who daily see new headlines about political corruption, Damned Cocaine (Maldita Cocaina) is less madcap romp than pointed satire. The Roaring Twenties return, with characters modeled on colorful real-life denizens of that era, and the setting is Maxim's, then a well-known Lisbon night spot. Through its doors parade a fascist army general with an eye for beautiful women, a count...
Composer Nuno Feist keeps things moving with a peppy score of jazz, rock and fado. Critics have airily dismissed the show; nonetheless, it has already broken Lisbon attendance records, with more than 100,000 tickets sold in its first six months. An elegant 1912 dowager, the Politeama had fallen on sad days, becoming a seedy home for kung fu and soft-core-porn films. Restored for $3.3 million by producer-director Filipe la Feria, it is now occupied by the $ 65 members of Damned Cocaine's cast, and the entire orchestra level is a stylish cafe where audience members dine...
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