santos in loco
It all began here, in Santos, in Avenida Dom Carlos I, many years ago when Raúl was a child and lived opposite the Sociedade Guilherme Cossoul. We traced his memories back to his first steps as an actor and his life in the neighbourhood. His father owned a brush workshop/shop, “a little facto-
theatre that had the greatest success and it once had
ry” as Raúl says, in Avenida Dom Carlos I, right opposite
a drama company. “I loved it, but it wasn’t much good,”
the Sociedade Guilherme Cossoul. It was fate. It didn’t
recalls Raul. “The director was old-fashioned and liked
take long for Raúl to be drawn towards that cultural en-
amateur dramatics.” These were lively times, but Raúl
vironment, slowly at first, starting with the dances.
was mainly a spectator. “The general meetings were lit
“At eleven, I went to work with my dad making brush-
up by a potato salesman who had a rare eloquence and
es,” he tells. “When I was fourteen, I started going to
wanted a real theatre. He didn’t want to be the director,
the dances at Guilherme Cossoul on Sunday after-
but he loved the society and donated money.”
noons.” Though originally a music hall, founded by
The new theatre company was a success and created
admirers of the maestro Guilherme Cossoul, it was
“a hunger for culture”. “We all started reading,” he says, “discussing things we didn’t know anything about. I think it probably changed my life. We didn’t have any books at home, so I used to go there to read. And I jumped straight into adult fiction.” The society attracted intellectuals and theatre types. And Raúl delved into the activities. “I used to stammer a bit,” he says. “I loved theatre, I knew the plays by heart, but I couldn’t join in. Until one day Jacinto Ramos told me that one of the actors couldn’t make it and asked me to play the part, which only had two lines. “But I stammer!” I replied, to which he said: “Singers don’t stammer and you won’t either.” And so that’s how I had my debut in a play by Alves Redol. I stammered so much everyone laughed their heads off. And it was supposed to be a drama! But it was a success and I spent plenty of time on stage. It was decided that I was a comedian.” It was 1947, and right after Raúl appeared in another play, by Chekhov. To improve his elocution, he began training by reading the newspaper aloud, very slowly, for an hour a day. “But I still stammer,” he says, “in fact, that’s how I got to where I am today!” But the theatre wasn’t his first love. “My dream was to be a doctor,” he tells, “because I really liked our doctor. But, “as was common in those days,” says Raúl, “fathers had the last word and I had to go to a vocational
10 · santos con vida