Key Takeaways:
- Domingo no Parque musical opens at Teatro Claro Mais in São Paulo, inspired by Gilberto Gil’s 1967 song.
- The production features a 90% Black cast and musical direction by Bem Gil.
- The piece is set in early 1970s Brazil and explores friendship, love and political resistance.
- Tickets start at R$50 and performances run through 8 February at Vila Olímpia.
Domingo no Parque musical opens in São Paulo with majority Black cast
A stage adaptation of Gilberto Gil’s landmark song Domingo no Parque opens this Saturday at Teatro Claro Mais in Vila Olímpia, São Paulo. Directed and written by Alexandre Reinecke, the production brings the song’s characters and setting to life with a largely Black cast and a score overseen by Gil’s son, musician Bem Gil.
Domingo no Parque musical
The musical follows Jozé, a market worker, and João, a builder, two friends who gather to play capoeira in the Ribeira neighbourhood of Salvador. True to the original lyrics, friendship gives way to rivalry when both men vie for the attention of Juliana, played by Rebeca Jamir. Jamir, who hails from Pernambuco and has a leading role in the film The Son of a Thousand Men, portrays a woman who pursues her dream of singing while taking part in anti-dictatorship actions and coming under military scrutiny.
Set in the early 1970s during Brazil’s military regime, the piece situates its drama within a tense political moment that is integral to the song’s own history. Gilberto Gil debuted Domingo no Parque with Os Mutantes at the Festival da Record in 1967. The original performance was notable for its mix of acoustic guitar, berimbau and electric guitar, a combination that helped define a generation of Brazilian popular music.
On stage, Alan Rocha plays Jozé and Guilherme Silva plays João. Adriana Lessa appears as Mãe Preta, Jozé’s grandmother. The company is reported to be around 90 per cent Black, a casting choice that foregrounds the story’s Afro-Brazilian characters and cultural practices such as capoeira and popular music.
Musically, Bem Gil worked with Reinecke to create six new songs for the production and selected 14 established numbers to bind the narrative. The repertoire includes works by Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Jorge Ben Jor, Peninha and Carlos Lyra. This blend of original and familiar tunes aims to honour the roots of the source material while offering fresh arrangements for the stage.
The production seeks to balance entertainment and historical reflection. Audiences will find scenes of everyday life alongside depictions of political mobilisation and surveillance. The fight between personal desire and collective struggle is a through line, as characters pursue love and artistic expression while confronting the realities of authoritarian rule.
Performances run from the premiere on Saturday through 8 February. The schedule includes Thursday and Friday evenings at 20:00, Saturdays at 17:00 and 20:30 and Sundays at 18:00. Tickets are available through the Uhuu platform with full-price tickets starting at R$50. The theatre is located on the fifth floor of Shopping Vila Olímpia at Rua Olimpíadas 360.
As a theatrical adaptation of an iconic Brazilian song, Domingo no Parque invites viewers to revisit a pivotal moment in Brazil’s cultural history. With its majority Black cast and the involvement of a member of the Gil family, the production offers both a tribute to the song’s origins and a contemporary staging that foregrounds race, music and resistance.
