Today with artificial intelligence taking over many aspects of life, this theatre-lover would like to suggest to the able producers and directors of an outstanding production of Nelson Rodrigues “The Deceased” that they find a means via headphones to translate simultaneously in various languages for tourists this “Carioca tragedy” by a Brazilian theatrical genius.

For believe it or not Brazil´s tourism agencies, there are tourists who come to Brazil not only for Carnaval and football, but who would like to try and understand and appreciate the local culture.

And “The Deceased” (1953) featuring a really fantastically dramatic performance by Camila Morgado,48, masks in the Greek tragedy tradition, and conversations with number rackets kingpins and poolroom talk about football, is indeed a very Carioca yet international theatrical tragedy.

When I studied the tragedies of Nelson Rodrigues (Recife ,1912-1980, Rio de Janeiro) at the Fluminense Federal University under the able guidance of Profess Andre Dias,I at first likened the Brazilian journalist-playwright -novelist and sportswriter to American playwrights Eugene (“Long Journet into the Night”) O´Neill or Tennessee (“A Streetcar named Desire”) Williams or Arthur (“A Death of a Salesman”) Miller.

But this production directed by Sergio Modena with the funeral parlor -numbers racket headquarters scenery of Andre Cortes, is really closer to such Greeks as Euripides than my fellow American genius playwrights.

How Nelson Rodrigues who worked as a police reporter to a newspaper columnist all his life after his long work hours over a hot typewriter in a smokey newsroom had the energy to turn out 17 plays –many international masterpieces –is the question?

He was obviously deeply influenced by his own bouts with tuberculosis (the central character Zulmira is dying of tuberculosis), the tragic shooting in 1923 in a Carioca newsroom of his brother of his brother Roberto,23 and his “routine” journalistic duties since his adolescence covering the bloody scenes of being a police reporter in a Rio de Janeiro, which doesn’t seem to have changed that much.

Therefore, in this tragedy are the bicheiros, or wealthy illegal numbers racket kingpins, the playboy husbands whose lives center around playing pool and betting on soccer matches and principally the “pure, religious” housewives like Zulmira (who seeks a royal funeral for herself) or whom in their extra-marital lives realized their sexual phantasies—but not with their husbands!

My Google search shows that the 1965 film by Leon Hirszman starring Nelson´s eternal muse, Brazil´s great actress Fernanda Montenegro (how Nelson writes for and about women!), was shown 1971 in New York and did not receive a good review by a NYTimes critic, who little understood Carioca culture.

If only the current production at the Copacabana Palace theatre could be transported to some off- Broadway theater– with or without the help of simultaneous Artificial intelligence translation!

Cast.: Camila Morgado,Thelmao Fernandes,Stela Freitas,Gustavo Wabner,Alcemar Vieira, Alan Ribeiro and. Thiago Marinho

PS—Not invited to this sold out (most nights) theatrical, this observer was able to purchase (in advance) a first-row seat at the extreme right of the stage and (for these aging ears) my perch was perfect to enjoy this unforgettable production.