Jorge Takla
regisseur
"Imagine a finely crafted production, with elaborate sets, luxurious costumes, (...) Beyond the music, it's a visually stunning staging, a sight rarely seen on Brazilian stages."
Nelson Kunze, movimento.com
April 2018
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TERRITORY
Brazil - exclusive
BIO
An exquisite director skilled in handling large ensembles, Jorge Takla is one of the most active figures in both theater and opera fields, always engaged in major productions alongside top-tier actors and musicians within the Brazilian cultural landscape. His productions are consistently marked by their high quality.
Having graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts (Paris) and the Conservatoire d'Art Dramatique (Paris), he began his professional career alongside Robert Wilson in 1974. Takla performed and directed at LaMama Theater in New York from 1974 to 1976.
In Brazil, Takla directed and produced over 100 theater, musical theater, and opera performances.
He directed the operas Carmen, The Abduction from the Seraglio, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Tosca, Don Quichotte, The Rake's Progress, Candide, La Boheme, Madama Butterfly, Il Tabarro, The Marriage of Figaro, Cavalleria Rusticana, I Pagliacci, The Tales of Hoffmann, The Merry Widow, Cartas Portuguesas, and other works that were presented at the Municipal Theater of São Paulo, Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, Colón Theater of Buenos Aires, Solís Theater of Montevideo, Palace of Arts in Belo Horizonte, and Amazon Theater in Manaus.
In theater and dance, he directed My Fair Lady, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, The King and I, West Side Story, Victor/Victoria, Mademoiselle Chanel, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Vermelho, Last Moons, Medea, Electra, The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard, Cabaret, Petit-Bourgeois, Madame Blavatsky, Memories of China, Paris, Hulda, Phaedra 1980, and dozens of other plays.
Takla also designed various sets, costumes, lighting, and translations.
He served as the Director of the Theater Division of CIE-Brazil from 2002 to 2004 and was also the owner of the Procópio Ferreira Theater from 1983 to 1992.
He is a Grand Officer of the Order of the Ipiranga and holds the title of Citizen of São Paulo.
REVIEWS
"Imagine a finely crafted production, with elaborate sets, luxurious costumes and first-rate singers, directed scenically and musically by specialists — this is the recipe that resulted in the excellent La Traviata, a new production by Palácio das Artes in Belo Horizonte. Beyond the music, it is a visually stunning staging, rarely seen on Brazilian stages. (...) The conception and stage direction are by Jorge Takla, who writes in the program: "I try to tell this story in the context 'of the time,' without it becoming a dusty, old, and moldy museum piece. I would like to keep its freshness and vigor." He succeeded! And he rightly shares the achievement with Nicolas Boni, responsible for the beautiful sets, costume designer Cássio Brasil (300 costumes that "follow the lines and luxury of the period, maintaining a contemporary look regarding the colors and materials used") and lighting designer Fabio Retti."
Nelson Kunze, concerto.com.br April 2018
"The production currently on display at Palácio das Artes unites beauty and efficiency. Stage director Jorge Takla opts for a traditional staging, setting the action in the mid-19th century (as the composer intended), and achieves a very consistent and theatrical result. The director allows himself greater daring only in the final act, when, from the prelude, he uses a kind of pantomime that, like Violetta's ghosts, accompanies her last hours of life. At the beginning of the third act, the use of this pantomime may seem a little strange, but it gains meaning as the act progresses, until it completes its function in the final scene. Special mention goes to Takla's excellent direction of actors, as everyone on stage delivers impeccable performances. In his work, the director emphasizes the contrast between the institution of "family" (represented in the opera by Alfredo's father) and the world of courtesans, frequented by the men of high Parisian society. This contrast, as it could not be otherwise, leads to a strong clash in the great scene of the second act between Violetta and Germont père, in which he asks, almost imposing, that the courtesan definitively break off her relationship with his son. Here, the convincing performance of the two soloists further enhances the directorial work."
Leonardo Marques, movimento.com April 2018