The 1989 parade of Beija-Flor de Nilópolis is a landmark in the history of Rio de Janeiro’s carnival. The parade, conceived by Joãosinho Trinta for the theme “Rats and vultures, leave my costume alone”, made the Sambadrome fall silent in the first few minutes. In an interview with Milton Cunha, theater director Amir Haddad tells G1 about the impact of a group of beggars on the Sapucaí.
Haddad, who already had the idea of carnivalizing theater, took advantage of Joãosinho Trinta’s invitation to theatricalize carnival. For months, he prepared 200 actors to perform on a mobile stage, the Sambadrome. On an opening float with a Christ the Redeemer statue, which was banned by the Archdiocese of Rio, hovering over the downtrodden, covered with black plastic and with the banner “Even banned, look after us!”, they climbed the boxes as if they were hungry. Interview given to the G1 portal on February 20, 2019.