Review: SIMONE - O MUSICAL at Casino Estoril - A riveting cast and much more than the 'Desfolhada'

At a time in which biographical musicals are a trend, it is a true privilege not only to witness such a tribute in life (which, unfortunately, is definitely rare) but also to have the person who the piece is about on stage.

Truth be told, it is a privilege to be in any audience of a stage on which Simone de Oliveira is. This artist, which has had decades of a fascinating career, proved that age is not a factor for her by accepting the role of... herself! And although it is a bit weird to see someone portraying oneself (particularly because I did not understand some choices the director made by keeping her on stage during some scenes), it is impossible not to be moved by the emotion she communicates through her performance and by the strength needed to do something like what she is doing.

While I thought some scenes were a bit unnatural (and sometimes the style of direction was just not to my liking), there were, without a doubt, some beautiful moments that stayed with me long after leaving the theatre - mainly, the way Simone looked at the actors portraying her deceased friends - the beauty of those instants could not leave anyone in that audience indifferent - and that we owe to the director (Tiago Torres da Silva). Torres da Silva is also the author of the script that delicately puts Simone's life episodes together and makes her songs make sense in each one of them. Although I recognized the skill behind all this, I also think the text was a bit "sloppy" at times - breaking the fourth wall, having Simone talking directly to the audience to clear some facts or having the ensemble say "we are on a play, time accuracy does not matter" is a bit too much for me. What I left thinking is that the musical is a bit superficial, in a way that it touches a series of subjects but does not develop any of them any further.

Still, SIMONE - O MUSICAL has brilliant, strong numbers that need to be acknowledged, as well as some funny ones. I believe that the strength of these numbers reside in three major factors: great musical and vocal arrangements (by Renato Júnior and Carlos Coincas), outstanding lightning (by a man from which we always expect great things - Paulo Sabino - the lighting designer for almost every musical in Portugal) and a truly wonderful, magnificent cast.

José Raposo and Maria João Abreu are already household names - Raposo proved long ago that he can do anything (from Pumbaa to a drag queen in La Cage Aux Folles, this is a skillful actor with boundless talent) and Maria João Abreu keeps surprising everyone with every new show she is on. Yet, in this particular piece, the way she captured Simone's every mannerism and the way she shaped her voice to sound like the original singer... Splendid!

Nevertheless, it was Sissi Martins that blew me away - as always. She is probably the most complete Musical Theatre actress we currently have working in Portugal. You can see all of her Broadway training and all of her hard work in every single second of her performances. Here in SIMONE - O MUSICAL, Sissi showcased an unbelievable voice, paired with some incredible acting. And although, in my opinion, choreography did not make a lot of sense in that moment, she proved that she can even dance well, in a beautiful contemporary routine by Paulo Jesus.

Sissi Martins is unquestionably a name to remember, alongside her life partner Ruben Madureira (they are the "power couple" of the Portuguese Musical Theatre scene) - who stood out from the rest of the ensemble because of his astonishing voice (that "Maldita Cocaína" blew everyone away) and his charming sense of humor.

Finally, there are three numbers that should get an honorable mention: the scene on which Simone (here portrayed by Sissi Martins) returns from the Eurovision Song Contest and Sissi's "Desfolhada"; the scene in which the three "Simones" come together and talk; and the powerful ending song (no one expected to see Simone de Oliveira singing a rock song with such grace).

Overall, I think this was a show with good ideas that ended up not being that well developed. However, it was also a show with strong images and moments and stunning performances. A definite must-see!