The Brazilian playwright Zé Celso, who was one of the pioneers of Tropicália in theatre and founded the influential Teatro Oficina, has died following a fire at his apartment in São Paulo.
In 1967 he adapted Oswald de Andrade’s play O Rei da Vela (The Candle King) and co-wrote with singer Chico Buarque the 1968 play Roda Viva.
Tropicalia, the term coined by artist Hélio Oiticica and popularised by singer Caetano Veloso, was a reaction against the Brazilian military dictatorship. It emphasised an anarchic spirit that burlesqued the ‘tropical’ cliches of the country and embraced a participatory ethos.
Roda Viva, a two-act comedy, satirised consumer society and traditional institutions such as family and property. It was branded pornographic by the regime and, with scenes including the consumption of raw liver and blood splattering on the audience, caused a public outrage with a mob attacking its opening night.
