In 1983, José Afonso, already severely weakened by the illness that would take his life four years later, took to the stages of Lisbon and Porto for his final concerts, accompanied by lifelong friends and musicians. The Lisbon concert, recorded by RTP, became a landmark in Portuguese collective memory and has been immortalized in an album, a film, and recently a restored edition that recovers nearly the entire performance. José Afonso, Live at the Coliseums, 1983 is a multidisciplinary show blending music, theatre, performance, and poetry, reinterpreting Zeca’s legacy from a contemporary perspective inspired by Gig Theatre.

The show arises from the symbolic farewell these concerts represented: not just the farewell of an artist, but also the end of an era. Aware of the historical context of the April Revolution and Portugal’s transformations, the production evokes courage, melancholy, and perseverance, celebrating the memory of one of Portugal’s greatest singers and the lasting echo of his voice in the building of Portuguese democracy.