Brazilian musicals during the military dictatorship period (1964–85): Fighting violence through art

During the Brazilian military dictatorship period (1964–85), a great variety of politically biased musical plays were created, which criticized and challenged the authoritarian regime. This article presents this history and analyses some of the most expressive shows of the period, introducing the historical facts, the courageous and talented artists who did not yield to repression, how the shows were produced, their reception histories and how they used metaphors to deceive censorship. The pieces selected for an analytical approach are: Show Opinião (1964), Arena conta Zumbi (1965), Arena conta Tiradentes (1967), Roda Viva (1967) and Ponto de Partida (1976). These works cover the most severe years of the dictatorship and were created by some of the most significant Brazilian theatre and music artists of the time, such as Augusto Boal, Gianfrancesco Guarnieri, Vianninha, Zé Celso, Chico Buarque and Edu Lobo.