“Relationships – An Almost Romantic Comedy is a one-act comedy Written and Directed by Leandro Muniz that applies a non-conventional approach to relationships and exposes the well-known struggles of romantic love.We promise your relationships will never be the same – or almost!”
I met Leandro in Rio (Brazil), I had heard about his work before, because he wrote for big comedians in Brazil, like Fabio Porchat and Tata Werneck, and my friends told me about him. He had just released the sequel to a big hit comedy “Meu Passado Me Condena 2” (Don’t Judge Me By My Past 2) and I googled him (laughs). Our first meeting was at a Starbucks, which is where I didn’t know we would spend most of our time, doing production meetings, going over the script and talking about opening an off-Broadway show!! To be really honest, I was kind of intimidated to meet him, but he told me later he saw my standup in New York and was intimidated also! So I think that’s why we hit it off! We were both impressed with each others’ work, and immediately knew we had to work together and wanted to make it happen.I produced my standup one hour show “Brazilian Hour” and he invited me to produce “Relationships, An Almost Romantic Comedy” with him through my company Feed Your Soul Films, since I already had experience producing for theater and television at Hollywood TV. It seemed like an insane idea to produce the show in New York, but slowly it started becoming a reality when we got the confirmation from the theater and the actors were on board, which are some of the funniest comedians in New York City. I read his script in Portuguese, and helped him adapt some of the jokes to the American audience. We talked a lot about the difference between Brazilian humor and American humor, because it’s not only about the jokes, but it’s about how the audience will identify, and what’s funnier to them in the cultural context. The play was written in 2009, so we also inserted some current news references, like the jokes of comparing my husband to Donald Trump, and the technology take over like my husband asking if they have Wifi at the theater when I’m trying to talk to him, or how connected we are to our iPads as opposed to real people. The play is very contemporary.
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Leandro was excited to see his work traveling the world, and being performed in New York for the first time, after having such success with his writing in Brazil. Everyone wants to be international – he did and I did too! So we embarked on this idea and he took me on this amazing journey! Starring in a show Off-Broadway is like a dream come true! I still can’t believe it’s real but we did it, it’s happening! I had already worked as a tv host and standup comedian for 4 years in New York, but I missed being on stage in a theater performing to a full audience, it’s the best feeling in the world. When the lights go on, there’s nothing better than hearing the response of the public right away. Acting has always been my passion and comedy is how I see the world, so this is definitely what I want to be doing right now, and gave me so much more purpose at this moment in my life as a comedian and actress. It’s every comedian’s dream to work with Leandro. I learned so much from him, about writing, about comedy, about life, and in every possible aspect of the process, even when we had to deal with difficult situations and were under a lot of pressure, we came out better people in the end. Leandro helped me believe in myself even when I didn’t know I could do it. Right before I went on stage, he said “Now it’s your time to shine, I gave you this baby, it’s yours!” He gave me permission to be myself and reach my full potential, and that’s what made it so special. Sometimes I still can’t believe it and I tell him “I’m in your show!” Because he worked with so many talented people, so it means a lot to me that he says it’s my time to shine. I’m so grateful for him giving me so much responsibility as an actress, producer and writing partner. I tell him he’s like the Judd Apatow from Brazil, so I know how Amy Schumer must have felt. 🙂 Even now, I’m still moved by his words, and touched by him trusting me so much and seeing my talent from the beginning.