BWW Exclusive: Claudio Botelho Talks Cameron Mackintosh & THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK in Brazil

Brazilian directors Charles Moeller & Claudio Botelho just received from Cameron Mackintosh  greeting cards about the premiere of 'The Witches of Eastwick " in Brazil. Mr. Botelho tells BWW, in a exclusive interview to Mr. Paulo Afonso de Lima,our Editor in Brazil, about their relationship with Sir Mackintosh, as well the next musicals they will produce soon in the Country.

Have you and Charles ever had any personal contact with Sir Cameron Makintosh in the past? 

In 2000 we had the greatest honor to have Mr. Stephen Sondheim in Rio watching our prodution of Company, which I stared as Bobby and Charles directed. He was with Sir Cameron on that occasion for a coincidence. And also for a coincidence I had been chosen weeks before to write the portuguese lyrics for Les Miserables which was to be produced in São Paulo, so it was a very special meeting for all those reasons. I went to London a few months later to talk with the musical director about details in Les Mis translation and then I met with Cameron again, whom was always very supportive and enthusiastic about having his shows in Brazil. He was just opening The Witches of Eastwick at the Drury Lane and I saw the show exatly on that week, so after that I became a huge fan of the show and its score, and mentioned that one day it would be great to try and do it down in Brazil. But it was just a dream at that moment 10 years ago.

Is there any chance that Sir Cameron would see the Brazilian prodution in São Paulo? 

He has told the producers (T4F - TIME FOR FUN, the number one producer of large scale musicals in our country) about his interest in coming down and watch the show. And we are very excited with this idea and hope he really can do it very soon. I´m sure we (cast and crew member) will be very nervous but proud to have him in the audience.

Is your production a completely new one in terms of design and staging? 

It´s an all new production indeed. New sets, costumes, lighting and choreography. We had the chance to work with freedom about all the staging and direction of the show, and that makes us very happy. Cameron Makintosh office previously aproved the sets and costumes sketches that we´ve sent to them and we went on. Of course the musical arrrangements and the book is the same, but we tried to not locate the story exactly in a realistic "Eastwick-USA", but turn it into something like "it could be here, in Brazil, or anywhere else", it´s a small city with all its prejudices and all those little secrets.

You have translated all the CM produtions in Brazil. And now together with Charles, you´re not only in charge of the translation but also co-directing the show. Is there any other CM show you would like to work with in Brazil? 

CB: I´m really a fan of CM productions, I must have seen all of them since I had the chance to get out of my country and see other things in London and NYC. He is THE master in our field and I learned a lot having worked as a translator in Les Mis and Miss Saigon, and also Phantom of The Opera. We also did AVENUE Q in Brasil, wich CM produced in England. But if we could, it would be a dream come true to make a concert version of Les Miserables in Rio de Janeiro, once the complete production was only done in São Paulo, never came to Rio. 

Which are the next shows Moeller & Botelho are preparing and when will they come to stage?

Our next show is END OF THE RAINBOW, by Peter Quilter. A play with music about the last few months of Judy Garland´s career. The story takes place in London in 1967 and it´s about her relationship with her last husband, Mikey Deans, and her performances in the night club Talk of The Town. The show opened in London at the end of last year and was a huge success and will move to Broadway next march. Our production will have Claudia Netto, who was Anna in THE KING AND I recently, as Judy Garland. In  may 2012, we´ll do THE WIZARD OF OZ, the Royal Shakespeare Company stage version.

Do you and Charles have plans to try some of your original shows in Broadway or West End one day? Which one would work for that, in your opinion? 

That´s a dream for sure. But we are humble enough to know that it´s a big world out there and we´re only two guys who love musical theatre and want to make it real in Brazil. I think our original show "7-The Musical", with book by Charles, music by Brasilian composer Ed Motta and lyrycs by myself, has a very original story and mixes African-Brazilian roots and magic with modern musical structure. I dare to say it could work in some other country. We even have an English version of the show and who knows one day we can have the chance to try it. But we know where we are and who we are, and we´re happy doing what we love in our own country. 

A difficult question: what´s the best show you´ve ever seen on Broadway or West End? And if you haven´t done it yet, would you like to? 

The best show I´ve seen recently in terms of direction, staging, choreography and music is "Billy Elliot". But I don't think we should do it in Brazil. It´s a perfect show and I think it´s perfect the way it is and where it is. If a production should happen in Brazil, it should be a replica of the original, and it should be done by the original creators. It´s a triumph like Les Miserables, Phantom of The Opera, Crazy For You, The Producers, all shows that I adore and that are percfect, they don´t need any re-recration, they have to be done the way they are originally (in my opinion).

But my favorite show (book and music) ever is FOLLIES and yes, I would love to do it in Brazil one day.

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