João Bethencourt

João Estevão Weiner Bethencourt (* 1924 in Budapest ; † December 31, 2006 in Rio de Janeiro ) was a Hungarian- Brazilian playwright , director , theater critic and translator who came to Brazil in 1934 at the age of ten.

After graduating in agronomy in Rio de Janeiro , Bethencourt studied dramaturgy at Yale University in the early 1950s . After his return to Rio in 1954 he directed Thornton Wilder's “ Our Little Town ” with an amateur group , which marked the beginning of his career as a stage , film and television director.

In addition to numerous translations , he wrote over 40 of his own plays , mainly comedies , which he regularly staged himself. His pieces have been translated into many languages ​​and played all over the world. Probably the most successful, “ The day on which the Pope was kidnapped ” (“O Dia em que Raptaram o Papa”, premiered in 1972 and played in 42 countries to date), has become a classic among the demanding comedies . Other well-known pieces are "How do you kill a Playboy?" ("Como Matar um Playboy"), "Bonifácio and the Billions" ("Bonifácio Bilhões", German by Georg Kreisler ) and " The stolen criminal " ("Crime Roubado") ).

In addition, Bethencourt founded a chair for theater directing in 1954 , wrote humorous and vicious newspaper articles and theater reviews on a regular basis , was director of the cultural administration of the Brazilian state of Guanabara , president of the Association of Theater Directors of Rio de Janeiro and performed numerous television plays, which he for the most part himself wrote, directed. It is thanks to him that many American and European playwrights became known in Brazil.

Bethencourt died on December 31, 2006 in Rio de Janeiro of complications from an intestinal infection.

Play The day the Pope was kidnapped

A comedy in two acts, original title: O Diam que raptaram o Papam , translated by Reiner Walch, English title: The day, the Pope was kidnapped .

Pope Albert IV has made a strenuous trip to New York. When he wanted to take a two-day break in the Carmelite monastery, unrecognized, he left the hotel through the back exit and got into a taxi. This taxi belongs to the Jew Samuel Leibowitz, who has often driven his wife to despair with his wealth of ideas. Now he has another brilliant idea: He kidnaps the Pope, but not for money, but to extort peace in the world for 24 hours. The Pope likes this idea, who clearly feels at home in the family and increasingly enjoys the days of his kidnapping, as far as the police and army allow. The family friend Rabbi Meyer reveals the whereabouts of the Pope to the police; Nevertheless, they become passionate chess friends, even beyond the happy end of the kidnapping, which can be brought about thanks to the generosity of the Pope.

Works

• The day the Pope was kidnapped , translated by Rainer Walch, German adaptation by Wolfgang Spier, comedy in two acts. Distribution office and publishing house of German stage writers and stage composers, Hamburg [1972] OCLC 630823350
  • as a novel, translated by Gerhard Freund. Schulz, Percha am Starnberger See 1975, ISBN 3-7962-0080-X .
• Oil, oil, oil , farce in 2 acts, German by Gabriel Thomas, Sessler, Vienna 1979, DNB 209685433
• Dolores : Comedy in two acts, translated by Charles Regnier, Sessler, Vienna 1988, OCLC 174187620

Web links

• João Bethencourt in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• About João Bethencourt in the Enciclopédia Itaú Cultural (Brazilian Portuguese)