Chapitô to stage José Saramago adaptation in Lisbon

The Lisbon-based theater company Chapitô will premiere a stage adaptation of ‘Ensaio sobre a Lucidez’ (Essay on Lucidity), a 2004 work by Nobel Prize-winning author José Saramago. The production is scheduled to run from September 24 to October 25.

The play explores a political nightmare in which a majority of citizens cast blank votes as a form of protest, leading the country into a state of emergency. The narrative serves as a satire of democratic systems and governments, examining the consequences of public disillusionment with political parties and the state's potential use of violence to maintain legitimacy.

Directed by José C. Garcia, the performance features Jorge Cruz, Pedro da Silva, Susana Nunes, and Tiago Viegas. The production aims to use Saramago’s biting irony to reflect on the precarious nature of modern democracy.