Timon de Atenas
This exceptional production, Timon de Atenas, was performed in Rio de Janeiro between October 10 and December 7, 2014 at the Teatro Maison de France and directed by Bruce Gomlevsky. The wonderful Vera Holtz stars as Timon (making the character gender neutral). Also starring Tonico Pereira as the philosopher Apemantus and Alice Borges as the faithful Flavia.
Based on the National Theatre London 2012 text adaptation by Nicholas Hytner and Ben Power, licensed by Cultural Embassy Brasil.
Original Translation by Bárbara Heliodora
Adapted Translation by Susan Mace and Izabel dos Reis Velloso
Directed by Bruce Gomlevsky
Production Director: Susan Mace
Cast:
Vera Holtz, Tonico Pereira, Alice Borges, Iano Salomão, Marcelo Morato, Lorena Silva, Paulo Giardini, Giovanna de Toni, Júnior Prata, Alice Steinbruck, Juliana Bebé, Tatsu Carvalho, Lourinelson Vladimir, Charles Asevedo, Braulio Giordano, Luiz Felipe Lucas, Betto Marque, André Rosa, Francisco Taunay / Coro: Henrique Gottardo, Isabella Mariotti, Joanna Marins, Joana Poppe, Lorena Sá Ribeiro, Mariah Viamonte, Paola Castilho
Theatre program (in Portuguese)
Background Notes by Susan Mace (in English)
Argumento e Roteiro by Susan Mace (in Portuguese) – includes summary of each scene and famous quotations from Timon of Athens
Vera Holtz under billboards for the the Rio Shakespeare Festival at Cidade das Artes – where Timon of Athens was presented alongside the Globe (on its 2014 world tour ) and Gustavo Gasparani’s Richard III
Reviews and articles on the first season in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, October – December 2014 at Teatro Maison de France and Cidade das Artes. These are all in Portuguese.
Luiz Felipe Reis, “Vera Holtz é Timon de Atenas no palco”
Jornal O Globo, October 5, 2014
Daniel Schenker, “Vera Holtz protagoniza versão contemporânea de ‘Timon de Atenas‘”
Estadão, October 9, 2014
“Vera Holtz retorna aos palcos com ‘Timon de Atenas’, de Shakespeare”
Rede Globo, October 10, 2014
Izak Dahora, “Timão de Atenas”
Da(hora) poética!, December 6, 2014
Ida Vicenzia, “Timon de Atenas”
Crítica de teatro, November 20, 2014
Luciana Costa, “Vera Holtz Domina O Maison de France”
Tua Cultura, November 11, 2014
Rodrigo Monteiro, “Timon de Atenas (RJ)”
Crítica teatral, October 11, 2014
Videos – about the play and the production
From the Timon de Atenas YouTube channel.
From the Shakespeare Digital Brasil YouTube channel.
Other videos
The Timon de Atenas YouTube channel has videos of the actors and the director talking to the public.
Fernanda Montenegro, Brazil’s most celebrated actress, talks about Timon.
Other publications
Hannah Furness, “Shakespeare could have been depressed when he wrote Timon of Athens, Simon Russell Beale says”
The Telegraph, August 25, 2015
Videos for the National Theatre production of Timon of Athens (2012)
Timon of Athens Trailer
The Making of Timon
Reviews for the National Theatre production of Timon of Athens (2012)
Paul Mason, “Timon of Athens: the power of money”
The Guardian, July 20, 2012
Dominic Cavendish, “Timon of Athens, Olivier Theatre at the National”
The Telegraph, July 18, 2012
Michael Billington, “Timon of Athens”
The Guardian, July 17, 2012
Paul Taylor, “Timon of Athens, Olivier, National Theatre, London”
The Independent, July 18, 2012
Ian Shuttleworth, “Timon of Athens, National Theatre (Olivier), London”
The Financial Times, July 18, 2012
John Lahr, “Fools of Fortune: The prescient of ‘Timon of Athens‘”
The New Yorker, August 6, 2012
John Lahr, “Curtain-Raiser: Nicholas Hytner’s theatrical golden age”
The New Yorker, April 23, 2012
Timon de Atenas
Highlights 1 of 5
Celebrating his wealth, accepting nothing in return for his gifts, Timon soon discovers he is in deep debt but believes his friends will come to his rescue. a) 1.1) The...more
Celebrating his wealth, accepting nothing in return for his gifts, Timon soon discovers he is in deep debt but believes his friends will come to his rescue.
a) 1.1) The pre-banquet cocktail – Poet (Marcelo Morato) and Painter (Giovanna de Toni) discuss art and the dangers lurking behind wealth and power.
b) 1.2) Banquet scene – Timon (Vera Holtz), having saved Ventidius (Tatsu Carvalho) from debt and prison, will typically not accept his money back: “I gave it freely ever, and there’s none / Can truly say he gives, if he receives.”
c) 1.3) The truth about his hopeless financial situation is revealed to Timon (Vera Holtz) by his assistant Flavia (Alice Borges). Shocked, he soon recovers telling Flavia he is rich in friends, who will help him now.
Highlights 2 of 5
Timon’s friends, the senators, on whom he has showered gifts and money, are sought out by his staff. Contrary to his expectations they all turn him down. a) Scene where...more
Timon’s friends, the senators, on whom he has showered gifts and money, are sought out by his staff. Contrary to his expectations they all turn him down.
a) Scene where one of the senators, Ventidius, (Tatsu Carvalho) who Timon bailed out of jail, explains to Servilius (André Rosa) why he cannot help out, finding excuses like all the other “friends” who were sought out.
b) The debt collectors are back and Timon (Vera Holtz) despairs:” Cut my heart in sums” / “ Tear me, take me, and may the gods fall upon you”
Highlights 3 of 5
Timon (Vera Holtz) leaves Athens and delivers the famous “Wall” soliloquy, damning Athens and all of mankind. “Let me look back upon thee. O thou wall That girdles in those...more
Timon (Vera Holtz) leaves Athens and delivers the famous “Wall” soliloquy, damning Athens and all of mankind.
“Let me look back upon thee. O thou wall
That girdles in those wolves, dive in the earth
And fence not Athens!
…
Timon will to the wilds, where he shall find
The unkindest beast more kinder than mankind.”
Highlights 4 of 5
Timon, (Vera Holtz) now homeless, takes to the back streets where he finds “gold” (scene a) and is soon sought out by friends, servants, false friends, demonstrators and thieves. Here...more
Timon, (Vera Holtz) now homeless, takes to the back streets where he finds “gold” (scene a) and is soon sought out by friends, servants, false friends, demonstrators and thieves. Here (scene b) we see him with Apemantus (Tonico Pereira)
a) Timon, (Vera Holtz) hunts around for food and finds a bag of gold.
“Gold, gods, why this? I am no idle votarist…
This much will make black white, wrong, right …”
b) Apemantus (Tonico Pereira) seeks Timon out and tries to persuade him to return to Athens and take his revenge, but Timon refuses and they argue. Apemantus censors Timon for being so radical about everything:
“The middle of humanity thou never knowest,
But the extremity of both ends”
Highlights 5 of 5
Background: Timon has given a lot of his gold to finance demonstrators (who have been lurking around from the beginning of the play ) led by Alcebiades – Iano Salomão)....more
Background: Timon has given a lot of his gold to finance demonstrators (who have been lurking around from the beginning of the play ) led by Alcebiades – Iano Salomão). They promised to ravage Athens and overthrow those in power. Timon, certain that his revenge will be played out, prepares and goes to his grave by the sea.
a) Alcebiades has entered Athens but is persuaded to make “a deal” with Timon’s ex-friends, the senators Lepidus, (Charles Asevedo), Sempronia (Lorena da Silva) , Lucullus (Paulo Giardini), and Lepidus (Lourinelson Vladmir) and Ventidius (Tatsu Carvalho). Hence he takes his seat amongst the powerful, and nothing changes. All celebrate.
b) The play ends. Timon, from his grave by the sea, screams curses at them all:
“Scoundrels, vipers, thieves”
NB: This ending (b) was original to the Rio de Janeiro production.
Trailer for Tímon de Atenas
Vera Holtz stars as Timon, Tonico Pereira as Apemantus, and Alice Borges as Flavia in a production of William Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens, directed by Bruce Gomlevsky. more
Vera Holtz stars as Timon, Tonico Pereira as Apemantus, and Alice Borges as Flavia in a production of William Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens, directed by Bruce Gomlevsky.
