The Untold Story of Russian Theater in Portugal: 1889-1910

Abstract

The Portuguese enthusiasm for Russian novels revived the passion that the French also had for the genre cultivated in the Slavic world during the late 19th century. This interest expanded to the representation of Russian plays, as well as Portuguese versions of French dramatizations of Russian novels, during the period from 1889 to 1910. Among the plays were "Pão alheio" by Turgenev and "O Poder das trevas" by Tolstoy; as for dramatizations based on the French versions, "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoevsky and "Ressurreição" by Tolstoy should be mentioned.

This present study, based on an extensive analysis of theater reviews from this period, refers - for the first time - to the captivating history of Portugal's first contact with Russian theater and how it was received, both by the critics and the audience of the time. Almost without exception, the critics praised the acting skills, wardrobe, and staging but did not extend this enthusiasm to the content of the plays themselves. The dramatization of the novels was considered inadequate due to its inability to recreate the plots of the novels and the inner essence of their characters. Critics also noted that the plays were "politely accepted" by the audience, with few accolades or criticisms, as the subject matter was beyond the reach of the "Latin audience."