Radio Review: The Road to Lisbon

Drama

Douglas Livingstone’s ‘Road to ...’ series, which creates a specially recorded soundtrack of major festivals to create new stories, takes us to this year’s joyous summer festival of St. Anthony in Lisbon.

Patron saint of lovers and lost things, St. Anthony presides over days of celebrations. There’s fado – the wonderful songs of melancholy and longing peculiar to the Portuguese capital - there are nights of street parties, with sardines and sausages hissing on grills at every corner; there are dance competitions, parades and a mass wedding in the cathedral. 

But this is more than a story of sardines and sangria - we learn about life under the dictatorship of Dr. Salazar and the effect that the curiously named Carnation Revolution had on one man. 45, years ago Tony's father was one of the ‘Returnados’. After the fall of the Portuguese fascists, he was forced to leave his home and business in colonial Mozambique and found himself equally unwelcome in his native Lisbon. He made a new life in England and it's only on his death that his son discovers a clue to the secret that Paulo thought he had taken with him to the grave.

Tony ..... Carl Prekopp
Sharmila ..... Carlyss Peer
Joan ..... Elizabeth Rider
Paulo ..... David Westhead
Receptionist/Afonso ..... Andre Flynn
American Tourist ..... Julie Fitzpatrick
Azra ..... Cleo Sylvestre
Fernando ..... Malcolm Sinclair

Writer: Douglas Livingstone
Producer: Jane Morgan

Comment:

This is a wonderful evocation of Lisbon – sights, sounds, smells, and songs. Every year, from June 12-14, Lisbon honors St. Anthony of Padua, its most revered Patron Saint, with a festival and holiday. The narrow cobblestone streets of Alfama, Castelo, Bica, Bairro Alto and Madragoa, Lisbon’s oldest neighbouhoods, fill with music, dance, grilled sardines and free fun for everyone on several street parties locally known as arraiais.

Sardines are important because they are associated with the poor, and St. Anthony, being a Franciscan friar, had taken a vow of poverty.

There’s also a legend we hear about St Antony. After being ignored by actual people of Rimini, Italy during one of his sermons, he decided to preach to the fish instead. They all came to the sea edge to listen to him.

And another incident which we see is the collective wedding ceremony where the brides are known as “Brides of St Anthony”. They receive the blessing of St Anthony at the historical Lisbon Cathedral in the historic district of Alfama.

The undercurrent of the mystery, the half sister from Mozambique, all blend seamlessly into this charming story. Some of the dialogue we hear is in Portuguese, and we don’t always get a translation, although when the son asks his half-sister, we get some translations.

This is a touching story, I confess taught me so much about Portuegese culture and Lisbon that I didn’t know. The music and singing is also delightful.

Postscript: I happened to be chatting to the Portuguese consulate in Jersey, and he told me that it is every bit as lively as the play makes it.