What to do? Thursday is the day for opera, Branko and improvisation

PORTO Coliseu Porto Ageas. February 27th, 9pm. M/12. €15 to €40

Opening the lyrical season at the Porto Coliseum, the three-act comic operetta written by Johann Strauss II and premiered in 1874 in Vienna will be staged.

It tells the adventures of Gabriel von Eisenstein, a bon vivant who "postpones" an arrest warrant for contempt of authority to have fun at a masked ball that is nothing more than the scene of a revenge...

With an original libretto by Carl Haffner and Richard Genée, adapted and staged by Jorge Vaz de Carvalho, it features performances by the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by maestro Osvaldo Ferreira.

AVEIRO Teatro Aveirense. February 27th, at 9:30 pm. M/6. €12.50

Member of Buraka Som Sistema, founder of Enchufada, renowned producer at home and abroad, author of an acclaimed debut solo album called Atlas (2015) and credits reinforced with the records that followed – Nosso (2019) and OBG (2022).

Branko (born João Barbosa) continues his journey under his own name, this time with his attention turned to Soma , an album released in March 2024 and enhanced by a dozen songs and guests such as Teresa Salgueiro, Tuyo, Carla Prata, Yeri & Yeni, Carlão, Dino D'Santiago, BiaB, June Freedom or Jay Prince.

SINTRA Olga Cadaval Cultural Centre. From 27/2 to 2/3. Thursday to Saturday, at 9:30pm; Sunday, at 3:30pm and 9:30pm. M/12 and M/16. €5/show

A specific dramatic form is brought to the stage. The entrance is reserved for the art of performing theatre without a net, without memorizing text and without following stage directions. Beforehand, only the technical preparation of the actors.

The 13th edition of the festival exclusively dedicated to unscripted comedy brings together talents from Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico. A Bebedeira de Kant by David Erlich and Instantâneos; the Impro Ensemble directed by Gigio Giraldo, Your 15 Minutes of Fame by Lee White; Nuestro Lugar Impossible by Alicia Pinedo and Leonardo Caicedo and The Improvised a Cappella Musical by Acaprov are some of the moments on the line-up.

A production by Instantâneos Impro, in partnership with the cultural space Forno and the production company Musgo.

FARO Theatre of Figures. February 27th, at 9:30pm. M/14. 15€

A brilliant lawyer, used to defending men accused of abuse, becomes a victim of rape herself. Written by Anglo-Australian Suzie Miller, the play has wowed audiences and collected accolades and accolades – including two Oliviers and a Tony – since its Sydney premiere in 2019.

This Portuguese version is directed by Tiago Guedes and performed by Margarida Vila-Nova, who takes on the challenge of embodying this woman caught in webs in which “the patriarchal power of the law, the burden of proof and morality diverge”.

BRAGA Theatro Circo. February 27th and 28th, at 9:30 pm. M/14. 15€

Tiago Rodrigues brings to the stage a play that is about “a volunteer who listens to the stories of a man about to die and about the book he never got to write”, explains the room sheet.

This man was the father of the Portuguese director. In the last weeks of his life, he was visited by Teresa, to whom he confided his desire to leave a record of his memories and his experience in the hospital, which her son fulfills with this “ performance that aims to be a small victory over death”. Lisah Adeaga, Beatriz Brás, Manuela Azevedo and Hélder Gonçalves make up the cast.

LISBON Lux Frágil. February 27th, at 9pm. M/16. 15€

You Can't Win frontman Charlie Brown launched his solo album in 2019, with a Portuguese-language album, Morada . Now, attention turns to Demorar , the second chapter of his album, released in November last year and described as “a diary-summary of the most recent years of the artist's life, a period fertile for changes in the dynamics of his routine”.

Made of “anxieties, dreams and experiences”, it features nine songs and duets with Shugo Tokumaru (in Confusão ) and Manuela Azevedo (in Demora ). To take it to the stage, the singer-songwriter invites António Vasconcelos Dias, David Santos, Inês Sousa, João Correia, Margarida Campelo and Pedro Branco.