Italian Bhurgo

The play premiered on Easter Sunday, 17 April 1892, at the New Alfred Theatre (now Police Commissioner's head office) in Bombay, British India.

He exhibited a high level of proficiency in the English language, showcased musical prowess by excelling in violin performance, and gained recognition for his abilities as both a composer and singer.

When departing the opera company, he had the foresight to purchase some of their velvet costumes, which he subsequently incorporated into the staging of his Italian Bhurgo production.

Conversely, some writers have argued that Ribeiro's play was in fact an adaptation of an existing English opera known as Italian Boy, rather than an entirely original work.

Following his departure from employment in Bombay, Ribeiro joined forces with Caitaninho Fernandes of Taleigão in the quest for actors to take part in a play.

The aspiring actors exhibited skepticism towards Ribeiro's novel theatrical approach, likening it to the established Goan folk drama form known as zagor.

[2] In the late 19th century, a group of individuals in the city of Bombay (now known as Mumbai) came together to establish the foundations of the Konkani theatrical tradition known as tiatr.

The two men discussed the teatro (theater) genre, prompting João to accompany Caitaninho to meet Ribeiro at his residence on Picket Road in Bombay on a Sunday.

A group consisting of Caitaninho, João, and Ribeiro embarked on a quest to discover youthful talents to engage in the theatrical presentation of Italian Bhurgo.

The initial endeavors to materialize this vision were impeded by various challenges, particularly the task of securing a suitable quantity of actors for the theatrical production.

During the theatrical production, intermittent pauses were incorporated to facilitate costume changes, while musical performances were seamlessly integrated between scenes in a concert-style format to accommodate this requirement.