This research addresses the musical comedy "Opera do Malandro" composed by Chico Buarque in 1978 and set during 40´s , at Rio de Janeiro, the final phase of the Estado Novo (1937-45). This investigation considers how Chico Buarque, using poetry and music, handled the censorship during the military dictatorship of the 70´s. It inserts "Opera do Malandro" in the context of the military dictatorship of the 70´s, considering the inclusion of multiple times in the preparation of the piece; the processes of hybridization that resulted in the "Opera do Malandro" and yet, the processes of identity representations, in particular those embodied in the figure of the rascal. Meaning to elucidate these questions, based on the concepts of phenomenological analysis and seeking support for the relationship between lyrics and music in musical rhetoric and Luiz Tatit´s studies, an analysis was made of the following poetic-musical songs that composes the piece: “O Malandro”, “Homenagem ao Malandro”, “Ópera” e “O Malandro nº2”. The analysis and interpretation of the query have confirmed the hypothesis presented that, from a language of "cracks" centered on the image of the rascal and the game of temporalities and hybridizations, Chico Buarque, using metaphores, presented the political, social and economic conditions of the country at those years, the 70´s. ; A presente pesquisa aborda a comédia musical “Ópera do Malandro” composta por Chico Buarque em 1978 e ambientada no Rio de Janeiro dos anos de 1940, fase final do Estado Novo (1937-45). Constituem-se como eixos estruturantes desta investigação: a maneira como Chico Buarque lidou em termos poéticos e musicais com a censura durante a ditadura militar da década de 1970; a inserção da “Ópera do Malandro” no contexto da ditadura militar dos anos de 1970; a imbricação de tempos múltiplos na elaboração da peça; os processos de hibridação dos quais resultou a “Ópera do Malandro”, e ainda, os processos de representações identitárias, em especial, aquelas consubstanciadas na figura do ...