Curtidores de Hongos

Friday the 13th, Mariana and I were invited by our friends Patricia, Nicolás, and Nacho to the Museo de Carnival to see Murga.

Stealing from Wikipedia -

"Murga is a form of popular musical theatre performed in Uruguay during the Carnival season. The Murga is performed by a group of a maximum of 17 people, usually men. In the months prior to Carnival, which takes place from late January to early March in Uruguay, each group will prepare a musical play consisting of a suite of songs lasting around 45 minutes. This suite will be performed on popular stages in the various neighbourhoods, known as tablados, throughout the Carnival period. Groups compete against one another in a prestigious official competition.

Lyrical content is based on a particular theme, chosen by the group, which serves to provide commentary on events in Uruguay or elsewhere over the preceding year. Consequently, murga lends itself well to being used as a form of popular resistance. For example, during the dictatorship in Uruguay in the 1970s, groups became known for their left-wing tendencies, subversive commentary and oppositional stances."

The show is a song and dance type extravaganza, with costumes and makeup. The lyrical content, as its stated above is typically a commentary on events over the preceding year, but what it doesnt say above is that it comes across as a parody, a protest, a critique, and a comical satire all rolled into one. They sing about politics, corruption, World Cup Soccer, governemental blunders or exposés, crime, and things of this nature. Overall, the role is to take a jab at Uruguayan society.

The group we went to see is named Curtidores de Hongos. They placed 3rd in this years competition. Although the competition season is over, they were playing Friday night to promote the release of their newest DVD.

Here is a sample video of the type of show we saw, although this footage is simply taken from Youtube.



My spanish is best when I can talk to someone one-on-one, in a small group it diminishes where I can follow the conversation but rarely talk, and in a concert hall when listening to a group of singers up on stage - it utterly disappears. Yet, even though I couldnt understand a single thing, it was a great experience. As a musician myself, I can always find a way to get lost in the music, finding something admirable and inspiring despite the language barrier. And although the humor went over my head, my group of friends, as well as the audience in general, had a great time taking in the humor and laughing at the jokes.

The Curioni clan (Patricia, Nicolás and Nacho) spare nothing to introduce me into the varying aspects of Uruguayan culture. They are passionate people, with interesting passions, and I feel lucky to have such great guides during my stay here in Montevideo. Many thanks.

Travis