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Gus Van Sant Directs Andy Warhol Musical 'Trouble' for BoCA Biennial, Premiering in Lisbon

festival-fair · 2026-04-20

Gus Van Sant, the filmmaker, debuted his first theatrical production, a musical biography of Andy Warhol named 'Trouble,' at Teatro Nacional D. Maria II in Lisbon from September 23 to October 3, 2023. The show is currently on a European tour and features nine Portuguese performers aged between 17 and 28. It showcases moments from Warhol's pivotal years (1959-1968) and includes figures such as Clement Greenberg and Edie Sedgwick. The production explores themes of queer identity and artistic competition, characterized by a vibrant pop visual style. Notably, it features a scene where the Virgin Mary offers guidance to Warhol and wraps up with Warhol and Capote in the afterlife. The Warhol Foundation requested a title alteration from 'Andy' to 'Trouble.'

Key facts

  • Gus Van Sant wrote and directed his first theater piece, a Warhol musical commissioned by BoCA Biennial
  • The play premiered in Lisbon at Teatro Nacional D. Maria II from September 23 to October 3, 2023
  • Nine Portuguese actors aged 17 to 28 perform in accented English, portraying figures like Truman Capote and Edie Sedgwick
  • Scenes span 1959 to 1968, covering Warhol's shooting by Valerie Solanas
  • Musical numbers include duets between Clement Greenberg and Irving Blum debating Ab-Ex versus Pop art
  • Van Sant was once contracted by Universal to adapt Victor Bockris's Warhol biography
  • Portugal banned Coca-Cola until 1977 under dictatorship and leftist governments
  • The Warhol Foundation requested the title change from 'Andy' to 'Trouble'

Entities

Artists

  • Andy Warhol
  • Gus Van Sant
  • Leo Castelli
  • Clement Greenberg
  • Walter Hopps
  • Truman Capote
  • Gerard Malanga
  • Edie Sedgwick
  • Jasper Johns
  • Irving Blum
  • Nico
  • Fred Hughes
  • Valerie Solanas
  • Victor Bockris
  • Amy Taubin
  • Heather Graham
  • Ernest Hemingway

Institutions

  • Biennial of Contemporary Arts (BoCA)
  • Warhol Foundation
  • Universal
  • New York Times
  • Teatro Nacional D. Maria II

Locations

  • Lisbon
  • Portugal
  • New York City

Sources