Murga uruguaya

Murga uruguaya is the choral musical theatre of Montevideo's carnival, in which a costumed choir of some seventeen singers, backed only by snare drum, bass drum and cymbals, performs an original satirical show built each year around current events. Its repertoire follows a fixed architecture: an opening presentación, topical canciones, comic cuplés and a farewell retirada, delivered in a distinctive nasal choral blend at the marching tempo called marcha camión. Officially judged in the Teatro de Verano contest, murgas such as *Falta y Resto* and *Agarrate Catalina* act as the city's licensed jesters, subjecting politicians and public life to affectionate, unsparing ridicule.