Marcos Damigo Explores São Paulo’s Origins in New Play

Between the Cross and Cannibals, Marcos Damigo’s latest, premieres Jan 22 at Teatro Arthur Azevedo, probing the bandeirante myth with farce comedy.

Marking São Paulo’s 472nd anniversary week, Marcos Damigo unveils his fifth play on Brazilian history. Between the Cross and Cannibals uses farcical comedy to expose clashes between colonial plans and early Vila de São Paulo de Piratininga realities. It debuts at Teatro Arthur Azevedo in Mooca, running January 22 to February 15.

The show challenges the bandeirante-hero myth, shaped in the 19th-century coffee boom. Set in 1599, it follows four characters: the Judge, Governor-General, Councilor and Prosecutor amid local unrest and indigenous threats.

Governor-General Dom Francisco de Souza arrives at the inland village, cut off by the Serra do Mar. Locals rebel against the authoritarian Judge; the Councilor kidnapped allied Tupis, risking attack. The Prosecutor, once saved by natives, pushes anti-enslavement laws.

It uncovers contradictions in São Paulo’s economic rise through large-scale indigenous labor. Damigo employs humor to reveal the grotesque beneath development narratives.

“Humor is the best way to question the bandeirantes-as-heroes idea. We crafted a comedy of scorn, drawing from ancient popular traditions and Brazilian authors like Arthur Azevedo and Martins Pena,” says Damigo.

Inspired by Afonso d’Escragnolle Taunay’s São Paulo Nos Primeiros Anos, the script benefited from Luís Alberto de Abreu and Paulo Rezzutti’s input via PROAC 2020, plus Rodrigo Bonciani’s staging support.

Cast features José Rubens Chachá (Judge, ex-Ornitorrinco), Fábio Espósito (Councilor, ex-Cirque du Soleil), Daniel Costa (Prosecutor, Shell nominee) and Thiago Claro França (Governor-General, Cia. do Tijolo). Costumes by Marichilene Artisevskis blend modernism and Tropicália. Set includes hand-painted tarps by Jonato and Ever, with video by Richard Wera Mirim.

Adriano Salhab’s score links past and present. Sponsored by Google Cloud via PROMAC.

About Marcos Damigo

Damigo boasts a rich theater career focused on Brazilian history. Recent hits: Leopoldina, Independence and Death (2017, Museu do Ipiranga/SESC) and Babilônia Tropical (2023, CCBB nationwide, Recife 2024).

Synopsis

An authoritarian Judge faces revolt in the isolated village. The missing Councilor kidnapped Tupis, sparking indigenous attack fears. With the Governor-General en route, chaos ensues: how to host nobility in squalor? This sparks São Paulo’s economic surge via indigenous labor.

Service

Between the Cross and Cannibals

Duration: 85 min | Rating: 12+ | Genre: musical comedy

Dates: Jan 22–Feb 15, 2026

Thu–Sat 8pm; Sun 7pm

Accessibility: Jan 23 – Sign language & audio description

Venue: Teatro Arthur Azevedo, Av. Paes de Barros 955, Mooca, SP

Parking: free (limited)

Phone: (11) 2604-5558

Tickets: R$20 full / R$10 half | Box office 1h prior | Online: www.sympla.com

*Jan 22–25: free for São Paulo’s anniversary

Photo: Heloisa Bortz