The scenery is of a mysterious apartment room. It´s heavy furniture and the dirty walls show an obscure atmosphere. The loneliness expressed by the two old ladies sitting on the sofa is depressing....

Veteran actresses Suely Franco and Nicette Bruno represent the old ladies who are the singers and sisters Linda and Dircinha Batista, the divas of the Brazilian radio era, at a moment of obvious decline in their careers.

The mystery about their lives will be shown in We Are Sisters (Somos Irmas), a musical by Sandra Louzada which opens April 3 at The Bank of Brazil Cultural Center Theatre I, in Rio de Janeiro, running through June 28.

The musical reveals the ups and downs in the life of two remarkably talented singers who reached stardom. Adored by the people, they shone throughout Brazil for almost two decades and then ironically, at the end of their lives, they became poor, crazy and completely forgotten by their public.

We Are Sisters is driven by the nostalgia of the big hits in the Brazilian Popular Music Repertory such as Risque by Ary Barroso; Alguem Como Tu by Antonio Maria; Vinganca Nunca Volta by Lupicinio Rodrigues. The songs are performed by the actresses Claudia Neto and Claudia Lyra, who play the Batista sisters' in their golden era of youth. Louzada, who invited the famous Brazilian singer Ney Matogrosso to direct this musical, is planning to bring the Batista sisters' drama to screen. According to the author, this tragic story has all the ingredients for a touching movie script.

Linda Batista died in 1988 in Rio. Dircinha Batista is living her remaining days in a Geriatric Center, and apparently is not even moved by her "return" to the stage.

Tickets cost R$10,00. Performances are from Wednesday to Sunday -7:30 PM. Information call 011 216 0223 at The Bank of Brazil Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro.

--By Nertutila Achao

Brazil Correspondent