Gil Vicente in Portugal

Das grosse Welttheater. Festspiele Melk (Austria), 1961. Lope de Rueda's Las aceitunas at the Thé- âtre de l'Alliance Française (Paris), acted by pupils of the Fort Peralta Academy. (Spa. Cult. Ind., No. 184). Tirso's El condenado por desconfiado at the Théâtre de l'Alliance Française (Paris), in French. (Spa. Cult. Ind., No. 184). Tirso's Don Gil, translated by Hans Schlegel, during the current season at the Stadttheater in Bonn, Germany. (Courtesy A.G.R.). Lope's Amar sin saber a quién, at the Thé- âtre de l'Alliance Française (Paris), in French. (Spa. Cult. Ind., No. 184). Lope's El anzuelo de Fenisa, at the Mar ía Guerrero theatre in Madrid. Text recast by Juan Germán Schroeder. (Spa. Cult. Ind., No. 182). Lope's El caballero de Olmedo, at the Théâtre de l'Alliance Française (Paris), in French version by Henri Gilabert. (Spa. Cult. Ind., No. 184). Lope's Câinele gradinarului (El perro del hortelano), at the Teatru Municipal, Bucharest , Roumania, 1950-60 (!!). (Courtesy A.G.R.). Gil Vicente in Portugal by Harvey Johnson Indiana University Interest in Gil Vicente's theatre continues unabated in Portugal. His autos still hold interest for actor and public. The acting group of the Sindicato dos Empregados de Escritorio do Distrito de Lisboa, which calls itself "Proscenium," performed on June 4 in the D. Maria Theatre tre Breve Sumario da Historia de Deus. It was staged with the beautiful scenery of Lucien Donat and directed by Pedro Lemos. The Teatro Popular de Lisboa has begun rehearsals for its production of Auto da Alma, the fourth play in its series for the current season in the Estufa Fria. Reis Brasil's monograph As Determinantes do Humanismo na Obra de Gil Vicente, Figueira da Foz, 1961, pp. 29, develops the subject moderately well, restricting the meaning of humanism to the study of hörnern como hörnern with no implication of knowledge of the classics. For his discussion of the playwright's attack on religious fanaticism, he draws on the letter written to D. Joáo III in which Vicente objected to the clergy's exploitation of the populace's credulity, refuted the belief that such catastrophes as earthquakes are God's punishment of mankind , and censured the priests for making false prophesies. Gil Vicente's wish to see the expansion of faith and empire was constant , his works, in consequence, giving full recognition to Portuguese deeds of valor and glory. He earnestly desired that man be purified of wickedness, observing that works not words lead to salvation while speaking out against deceit, hypocrisy, cynicism, vanity , etc. In passing judgment on youths and simple shepherds, whom he held to be good by nature, he showed kindness, even benignity. He attacked the clergy's depravity, the granting of indulgences and jubilees, and other like practices. "O humanismo vicentino exige que o hörnern seja hörnern, gozando de todas as suas qualidades inatas e procurando servirse délas para tornar o hörnern melhor." Reis Brasil accepts wholeheartedly the sweeping assertion that few are the studies of Vicente's theatre and that almost all of these are of little significance. To contradict such a declaration, one needs only to cite the Bibliografia Vicentina, Lisboa, 1942, pp. 1002, and recall the names of such distinguished scholars as Sanches de Baena, Braamcamp Freiré, Michaelis de Vasconcelos, Brito Rebelo, A. F. G. Bell, et al. Furthermore , Reis Brasil would have profited considerably for his study from a careful reading of such enlightening books as Oscar de Pratt's Gil Vicente, Lisboa, 1931, and F. E. Tejada Spínola's As Idéias Políticas de Gil Vicente, Lisboa, 1945. ...