Starring alongside her real-life granddaughter, Rosamaria Murtinho brings Iris Apfel to life at Teatro das Artes starting April 18.
At 93, Rosamaria Murtinho takes the stage at Teatro das Artes, inside Shopping da Gávea, to portray legendary American designer Iris Apfel. The play “Uma Vida em Cores” (A Life in Colors) runs from April 18 through June 21, with performances every Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. She is joined onstage by her granddaughter Sofia Mendonça and actress Simone Soares.
A friendship that became theater
The project traces back to 2017, when playwright and director Cacau Hygino first came across Iris Apfel on social media. Fascinated by the image of a woman in oversized round glasses and layered necklaces, he tracked down her New York address and began an insistent effort to reach her — letters, calls, and project materials. Months later, Iris called back.
That unlikely meeting led to the monologue “Através da Iris”, starring Nathalia Timberg, which toured Brazil to sold-out houses before the pandemic brought it to a halt. The script remained shelved until Hygino decided to revisit it with a fresh angle and a new cast.
Rosamaria’s one condition
Cacau Hygino and Rosamaria Murtinho have been friends for decades. They first shared a stage in 1998 in the musical “O Abre Alas”, written by Maria Adelaide Amaral and directed by Charles Moeller and Claudio Botelho. When Hygino offered Rosamaria the role of Iris Apfel, she accepted on one condition: her granddaughter, Sofia Mendonça, had to be in the cast.
That condition reshaped the entire production. The monologue format gave way to a dialogue between Iris and Emily, a young Vogue intern played by Sofia, who arrives to conduct a career-defining interview. Simone Soares plays Juliet, Iris’s loyal companion. The real bond between grandmother and granddaughter lends the performance a depth no script alone could achieve.
Memory, humor, and legacy
Inspired by the life of Iris Apfel — a global icon of style, irreverence, and creative freedom who passed away on March 1, 2024, at the age of 101 — the play celebrates the power of maturity and the refusal to be defined by age. What starts as a formal interview between the characters evolves into an exchange full of wit, warmth, and candor.
Over the course of 60 minutes, the play addresses ageism, fashion as identity, love and grief, and the weight of a life well-lived. The script blends fiction with emotional memory, drawing on real episodes from Iris’s life, including her 68-year marriage to Carl Apfel.
The encounter between Rosamaria and Sofia goes beyond the script. Their real relationship as grandmother and granddaughter adds a layer of authenticity that anchors the play’s central theme: the exchange between generations.
A writer with a broader vision
Cacau Hygino also composed the show’s original soundtrack. A prolific biographer of Brazilian theater and television legends — including Zezé Motta, Nathalia Timberg, Irene Ravache, and Nicette Bruno — he is set to publish two new books in 2026: biographies of Ana Rosa and Stenio Garcia, the latter marking his first biography of a male artist.
This production is part of a larger series of plays inspired by fashion and culture icons. Coming titles include “A Soberana”, about editor Diana Vreeland, to star Carolina Ferraz, and “Lee & Blow”, about Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow, in which Hygino himself will portray the celebrated designer.
Event Info
- Run: April 18 – June 21, 2026
- Venue: Teatro das Artes – Shopping da Gávea – R. Marquês de São Vicente, 52 – 2nd Floor, Store 264 – Gávea, Rio de Janeiro – RJ
- Performances: Saturdays and Sundays at 6 p.m.
- Tickets: R$ 140 (full price) and R$ 70 (half price)
- Sales and info: https://divertix.com.br/teatro/uma-vida-em-cores
- Running time: 60 minutes
- Genre: Dramatic comedy
- Rating: General audiences
