Las Reinas Chulas in their latest cabaret comedy

BY MARIA GALLUCCI
The News
Sept. 18, 2009

Dancing, shaking and strutting across the cabaret stage, Las Reinas Chulas sing their satirical, tongue-in-cheek renditions of the national "Vive México" tourism campaign, presenting the country's bitter truths with exaggerated dance moves and a hearty dose of satire.

In their latest project "Bailando con la más fea" ("Dancing With the Ugliest"), the four -woman Las Reinas Chulas comedy group present a series of hilarious vignettes, eccentric choreography and ironic musical numbers, debuting just weeks after their fourth anniversary of performances at the El Vicio Theater Bar in Mexico City.

The show, which kicked off Sept. 4, is set to run every Friday and Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. through the end of October at the Coyoacán-area cabaret club.

The women met years ago through common acquaintances at the University Center of Theater (CUT), and, upon discovering a clever chemistry between them, they began writing, producing and acting in shows almost exclusively in the El Vicio bar.

Actress Cecilia Sotres said that throughout their more than 20 different plays, the company has aimed to present itself with new challenges each time around.

"Dancing is new for Las Reinas Chulas, so in this case, we're making fun of ourselves in the way that we dance, which is very ungraceful. Cabaret and comedy always start by making fun of yourself," she said before the Sept. 11 presentation.

"I think we offer an intelligent criticism. The type of comedy that we offer here, for better or worse, is completely different than the others," she said.

Nora Huerta said that this play is a tribute to classic comedy reviews that combine sketches, dancing and musical segments. The expression "bailando con la más fea," she explained, is a Mexican saying used when something unfavorable happens to a person or group.

"Mexicans have always had to 'dance with the ugliest,' because we haven't achieved the country, the education, the institutions or the governments that we deserve," she said in a light but critical tone.

"Today in Mexico, we're almost at the point of celebrating our bicentennial, and we think these important celebrations are also a demonstration of the failure of an independence and revolution that fought for equality and equity among its citizens," she said.

Ana Francis Mor added sarcastically that the cabaret comedy aims to support the city and federal governments in their campaigns to promote tourism in Mexico.

"It took us a while to figure out how we could do it, but soon we thought up campaigns with messages like 'Come to Ciudad Juarez, where your women are sure to be killed!'" she mused, referring to the unresolved female homicides in the border city.

But despite the play's jarring criticism and harrowing allusions, Las Reinas Chulas are best known for their ability to make serious issues a laughing matter. And for non-natives, the cabaret piece is also an introspective look at how Mexicans view themselves and their society.

"Bailando" begins on a colorfully decorated stage, the steps lined with plastic agave leaves and the backdrop with legendary figures Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl atop their respective mountains.

The four women enter the stage covered in shawls, singing dramatically with an accordion played by music director Yurief Nieves. As they explain that they'll be offering a "portrait of the true Mexico," the actresses rip off their covers to reveal sexy lingerie, kicking off a peppy dance number resembling moves by U.S. pop star BeyoncAc and choreographed by Talía Loaria.

Sotres and Marisol Gasé remain on stage, detailing Mexico's darker side as if proudly selling éapulco's beaches to a group of prospective tourists. Clips from the genuine "Vive México" campaign commercials flash on the screen behind them.

Mor and Huerta soon take the spotlight, dressed in "china poblana" outfits, a traditional style of dress originally from Puebla that includes a blouse, shawl and long, puffy skirts. The women, however, also portray drunken vagabonds who through their slurred storytelling reveal accounts supporting Mexico's violent reputation, and who later break out into the cumbia-like "quebradita" dance.

In the following vignettes, Sotres and Gasé dress as hyper-macho painters reflecting ironically on public services like health, employment and education; later, the duo and Huerta portray anthropologists who comment on Mexican politicians while reviewing a tacky retro horror film.

Mor explodes into the scene with a neon green "rumbera" outfit for an energetic dance sequence, and, following a brief intermission, returns to the stage as a man hauling his wooden cross up to the bust of a patron saint. With clown-like makeup and plastic puppet arms, Huerta plays a miniature Catholic icon and questions the man's sexuality while attacking him with a dirty vocabulary.

The final scene brings all four women together dressed in gilded and bejeweled Aztec costumes, the ancient characters complaining about modern-day mishaps before breaking out in dance to the sounds of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" classic.

"[Comedy] is a fabulous tool," Sotres said before the show.

"Laughter becomes a vice - you laugh and you like it - only that this laughter is a sharp knife that cuts through to the heart. We're laughing about the misfortunes that are happening, but also at ourselves, because in the end, this is a criticism about our society."

Gasé added that, "Our job here is to make political satire. We address themes that come from the heart and churn our stomachs, but we try to do it in a humoristic way, understanding that humor is cathartic and helps us reflect on situations that matter to us."

"We believe that this 'creative resistance' can undoubtedly change Mexico," she said.

Publívoros to screen 400 commercials in one show

BY MARIA GALLUCCI
The News
Sept. 18, 2009

Iconic television commercials and jingles can evoke in our minds those nostalgic images that have defined our popular culture. They also provide a glimpse into other worlds, reflecting the interests and desires of distinctly different consumers.

With more than 400 commercials from 30 countries, that's exactly what the Night of Los Publívoros hopes to project this weekend in Mexico City.

Now in its twelfth year, the six-hour program will screen commercials tonight from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Teatro Metropólitan in the city's Centro Histórico. This year's edition will also feature a 1917 silent advertisement featuring U.S. comedian Charlie Chaplin.

"It opens a window to the world through images and sounds," said event organizer Romain Greco. "Many times commercials as a genre have been undervalued, but we believe that in many cases, commercials are works of art. They're mini-movies."

Greco said the name Los Publívoros combines the Spanish words "publicidad" and "carnívoro," or "advertisement" and "carnivore." He estimated that around 3,000 fans of the marathon event, whom he called "ad-eaters," come out to the show each year.

"It's a great nighttime party," he said. "People applaud, whistle and cheer as if it was a concert or a soccer game."

The marathon concept was originally developed by French anthropologist Jean Marie Boursicot around thirty years ago, and the idea soon took flight in theaters around the world.

Los Publívoros began in Mexico in 1997, and today it presents itself as a dose of entertainment packed with social criticisms, reflections on contemporary society, images from the day-to-day and unexpected clips, Greco said. The short videos will screen in four 75-minute blocks, with brief intermissions between each set.

Similar programs will screen in 50 cities around the world, and cities in Russia, Japan, New York and others will show the same collection that will screen in Mexico.

However, Greco explained that, "It's not an event for advertisers, but rather, it is for everyone that likes film, photography, fashion and all these other genres."

He added that the selected commercials focus not only on marketed products, but universal issues such as AIDS, public health and political campaigns as well.

"Commercials talk to us about diversity. Many times we believe that diversity can create conflicts and problems, but it is part of our cultural richness. All of this diversity is shown on the screen by these various sources," he said.

Greco noted that it is particularly exciting for younger vieweres to experience the show.

"It is always interesting for a young person to see a commercial from Africa or Asia and see the priorities of the people there," he said. "Here, we're worried about having the lightest computer; others are worried about having water.

"There is a lot of social discourse over issues like terrorism, abuse, mistreatment of women, etc. It's not only commercials that are funny or sexy - there are more serious themes, too. We believe that commercials tell us much more than just 'Buy my product,' they speak to us about many other things.

"They teach us a little bit about the world we're living in."

Los Publívoros in the next months will also travel to other cities including San Luis Potosí, Irapuato, Puebla, Mérida, Campeche, Aguascalientes, Veracruz and Monterrey.

Interactive play visits Mayan culture

BY MARIA GALLUCCI
The News
Sept. 17, 2009

In a ritualistic and futuristic interpretation of Mayan society, a theater piece unlike any other is set to combine traditional Mayan customs with an outdoor discotech, sound and light installations and an edible character covered in Mexican treats.

"Pakal 2012 El Retorno" ("Pakal 2012 The Return") opens tonight at 8 p.m. at the Salón Juárez Terrace in the Tlatelolco Cultural Center in Mexico City. Upcoming performances include tonight, Sept. 19 and Oct. 1 and 3 presentations.

"This play is integrated and interrelated - it's a 'complete art,'" Jorge Tamatz Juanes, play director and anthropologist, said from the open-air patio.

"It's an art that synthesizes all other types of art," he said of the science fiction play, which includes live electronic music, light shows, multimedia installations, graffiti and photography, among other aspects.

Tamatz said the play developed after members of the Escuadrón Mutante theater company visited Mayan ruins and decided to create a play combining this ancient civilization with the high-tech contemporary society.

The theater piece begins with the introduction of King Pakal (Cesar Cárdenas), a character based on the Mayan ruler of the same name who governed the Palenque kingdom from 603 to 683 A.D.

In the play, Pakal is a guide, shaman and priest who encounters the four elements of nature - earth, wind, water and fire - along his journey, as well as the God of Fire (Juan Manuel González Camarena), the Red Queen (Ieany Chávez Cuahutencos) and the Uterus Woman (Luna Bizzueto).

A culture clash between the civilizations past and present unfolds when the monarch is suddenly transported to the year 2012 via a hieroglyph-covered temple.

Tamatz said evoking that specific year makes a satirical gesture to those who believe the apocalypse is coming in just three years. The Mayan's "Long Count" calendar, for example, curiously indicates an end to its 5,126-year on Dec. 21, 2012.

Once transported to the future, Pakal comes across the futuristic characters Audioman (Evan Flores), a walking sound installation; Luzman (Fernando Huerta Zamacona), who is covered in lighting; Videoman (Carlos Alcántara Kna), who wears monitors projecting video clips; and Foodman, an edible suit constructed by Orgy Punk and Cesar Huesca Molina that is covered in mole, pasta and various dishes, encouraging audience members to take a bite.

Cárdenas explained Pakal's transition from one world to the next as a complete "psychological shock."

"We take the play beyond the traditional parameters of theater," he said, adding that playgoers will utilize their smell, touch and taste in the nontraditional theater experience.

Tamatz added that while audience members would not be forced to participate, their interaction with the characters and sets means that all four presentations would be distinct and fresh offerings.

He said that the play's ultimate goal was to encourage the audience to reflect deeply on a modern society entrenched in excesses, consumerism and an alienation from the natural elements.

"We hope we can achieve our objective, and that there will be a completely different type of theater in Mexico," he said.

For more info, visit www.my space.com/pakal2012

DJ event to benefit Mexico City orphanage

BY MARIA GALLUCCI
The News
Sept. 15, 2009

For many festive folks in Mexico, late-night Independence Day celebrations often entail hours of dancing, shouting and tequila-laced patriotism. Add a few high-energy deejays to the nocturnal mix, and a chance to party becomes a chance for charity as well.

As the streets of Mexico City teem with activity tonight, a group of local deejays will turn the traditional La Galería cantina into a thriving club, with 15 percent of the establishment's proceeds set to benefit the Colonia Cove orphanage Hogar Dulce Hogar (Home Sweet Home).

The "Shout!" event follows a similar 2008 benefit that raised around $400 for the orphanage.

"It's not so much about the impact the money will have, it's about the impact the night will have on our friends and the people who come out," said John Kelly, who will play under the moniker DJ Kid Kelly.

"The idea of awareness in any charity event is your key point, just to get people interested and to understand that there are children out on the streets and without homes," he said.

Nearly 109,000 children are living at risk on the streets of Mexico's cities, according to a 2004 study conducted by UNICEF and Mexico's National Agency for Family Development. The study estimates that 3.6 million children under the age of 18 are working, and an estimated 64,500 children in Mexico City alone are not enrolled in school.

Jason Schell, who will spin tonight as DJ Schell, added, "We think that part of living and working in a different country is owning its problems, and if you're going to own its problems, then there is an ethical responsibility to do something to help."

The charity event will feature a traditional Mexican dinner from 8 to 10 p.m. From 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., Kelly, Schell and Ana Origel (DJ Isa) will play eclectic mixes of house, hip-hop, rock and indie music. Event organizers also include Nuria Cortina and Seema Iyer.

Eccentric paintings elevate positive art

BY MARIA GALLUCCI
The News
Sept. 15, 2009

In a world filled with deep and moody artists, Mexico City painter Juan Rodríguez Lütje offers a simple, refreshing and inspiring proposal of warm colors, eccentric shapes and energetic patterns.

His 12-piece collection of acrylic-on-cloth paintings is on display now as part of his exhibition "Higher Ground" at the Pasagüero gallery, located in the capital city's historical center. The paintings will remain up and on sale through Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The exhibit's title, he said, refers to the 1973 song of the same name by U.S. funk and soul singer Stevie Wonder.

"The song's lyrics talk about how there are good things and bad things in this world," he told The News at the Sept. 9 inauguration.

"It also says that our duty is to always hold on to this 'higher ground,' to perceive everything in a more positive and creative way,"

That same feel-good vibe reveals itself in Rodríguez's paintings, themselves a reflection of the artist's personal, yoga-inspired ideologies of balance, well-being and inner peace.

"I've practiced a lot of yoga, and it leaves you in a joyful mood. It's from there that I paint, from this frame of mind," he said, adding that upbeat music like Wonder's songs inspires him while he works in the studio.

Inside the Pasagüero's concert-gallery area, the paintings hang like bursts of energy on the whitewashed walls. The works are simply titled numbers 1 through 12, and all were all produced during the same months-long period throughout the year.

The first piece in the exhibit is one of Rodriguez's more subtle works, with a gray and green background covered by a spiraling bronze-brown circle almost mirroring the rings on an exposed tree trunk. Opaque ovals and crudely painted lines indicate the shape of a flower and stem, while pastel oblong shapes and strokes float throughout the canvas.

"I used to draw and paint figurative art, so the paintings in this exhibit have to do with that," he said, adding that while his use of shapes is informal and not necessarily intentional, the objects are full of symbolism.

His painting Number 12 is an intense flurry of circles, dots, spirals, rings and ovals that populate the canvas in a busy and confusing order, utilizing virtually every color on the artist's palette. But stare long enough at the shapes and the spotted columns, colorful floor and descending drops at the top reveal themselves as elements in a psychedelic forest.

"I strongly believe that art is a catharsis," Rodríguez said.

"I also believe that it's a good message to send, that despite the fact that many negative things are happening in Mexico and around the world, we must always maintain this elevated mindset because it gives you a different perspective on life."

"Higher Ground" marks the artist's debut in the Pasagüero gallery and his first exhibition since 2005.

Born in 1965 in Mexico City, Rodríguez studied architecture at the Iberoamericana University through 1990. He also studied painting at the "La Esmeralda" National School of Painting, Sculpture and Engraving in the early 1990s.

'Oveja Negra' herds into theaters

BY MARIA GALLUCCI
The News
Sept. 11, 2009

"Oveja Negra ("Black Sheep"), an unexpected success that won over critics at international film festivals this year, is set to hit the big screens this weekend across Mexico City theaters.

The Spanish-language film, which premieres tonight, is a subtle comedy, suspenseful drama and a charismatic love story set in a tranquil, rural ranching village in the State of Mexico's south.

In his feature film debut, director and screenwriter Humberto Hinojosa, 27, offers a contemporary story with an equally fresh cast, as the film's four protagonists are played by actors in their first leading roles.

"We had to gain many people's confidence at first," Hinojosa told The News. "But [age] helped me to give the film the energy that it has. It's like a contagiousness of will and desire that spread to all the contributors, and so the film feels very contemporary and new."

Filmed in the town of Malinalco, just south of Mexico City, the movie borrows heavily from Hinojosa's experiences and memories from growing up around such ranching communities.

The movie begins during the night, when an unknown hitchhiker hops into the cab of a sheep-hauling truck. He begins to recount a story, and the imagery soon flips to a sunny, lazy day on a pasture where brothers José (Christian Vázquez) and Kumbia (Rodrigo Corea) lay in the shade.

Both fed up with their directionless jobs of herding sheep and sick of mistreatment from the wealthy ranchers, the brothers start to hatch a vindictive scheme to leave their undesirable pasts behind them. Meanwhile, their boss's son Jerónimo (Iván Arana) develops a plan of his own to frame the brothers and get them off the ranch.

A second rivalry develops between José and Jerónimo when an incredibly coquettish María (Ximena Romo) taunts each character with batted lashes and passionate kisses. Mishaps and ill-fated adventures follow as both boys' attempts to bring each other down become increasingly more complicated. In the end, friendship and loyalty prove to the most important virtues of the film's moral story.

The comedy-drama found unanticipated success in March at the International Film Festival of Guadalajara. The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) chose the film as the festival's opera prima, or best first film by a director, and the public voted "Oveja Negra" the festival's best film.

It was also selected for the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, the only Spanish-language film out of 14 in the July competition.

Hinojosa said that watching "Oveja Negra" screen for the first time in Guadalajara was the most exciting moment throughout the entire two-year filmmaking process.

"It was exactly when I saw the movie with people and saw their reactions with such good results. I suffered when they did, I laughed when they did; that was the most emotional moment," he said.

The film is also a very personal project, he explained, inspired by his friends, the people in his life and the ranching villages from Hinojosa's childhood.

"Many of these characters are heroes that already exist. I took these characters and I fictionalized them," the director said, who is already working on two upcoming film projects.

"I lov iu" is a romantic comedy following a young deaf man whose lip-reading skills hit a wall when he falls in love with an English-speaking girl. He is also producing "El Último Día ("The Last Day"), a terror and suspense film directed by Pablo Dávila Chapoy, he said.

Hinojosa has previously taken home awards for his short films at the Kinoki Festival, the La Feisal Argentina Festival and the Trieste, Italy Film Festival.

"Oveja Negra," a Tigre Pictures production, is set to premiere tonight at Cinépolis, Cinemex, Cinemark and MMCinemas theaters and will be distributed by Gussi Artecinema throughout the country.

For more details, visit www. ovejanegralapelicula.com

La ImproLucha takes the stage

BY MARIA GALLUCCI
The News
Sept. 10, 2009

"Uno! Dos! Tres! Cuatro! Cinco! Improoo Luchaaa!" the hysterical crowd shouts, pumping their fists in the air with each count.

Every last wire-framed seat in the Mexico City arena is filled as men, women and wide-eyed children circle around small, square wrestling stage.

They've all come out to see the Thursday night fights - La ImproLucha, that is.

La ImproLucha is a hysterical blend of improvisational sketches and simulated fights set inside the Foro Shakespeare theater in the city's Condesa neighborhood.

Once a week, the event adds a very Mexican twist by placing theatrical comedy in the context of Lucha Libre, the infamous wrestling routine that puts big-muscled men into tiny spandex leggings and sparkly facemasks.

Now just a month into its fourth season, the comedic competition is set to finish with a final fight in mid-December.

"It's kind of cathartic," said program director José Luis Saldaña. "People yell at us, they scream, shout, laugh and literally go crazy."

Saldaña said he and co-creator Omar Medina developed the idea for ImproLucha after learning about the comedic "Catch" format at a 2005 international improvisation festival. The format pairs two groups of actors against each other, with a referee selecting scenarios and determining a winner and loser between the dueling duos.

"We decided to do this, but `a la mexicana,'" he said. The event is carried out under the direction of the theater group Complot/Escena.

The project's first run in 2006 took place at Teatro La Capilla in the Coyoacán neighborhood. The creators added a professional Lucha Libre ring to the mix, and, rather than just parody the set-up, they hired trainers to actually teach the faux-wrestling tactics to the actors.

They then incorporated live music, now offered by the three-piece band Los Sin Cara, a group that adds suspense and comedic relief throughout the 90-minute show.

After the first run, however, the ImproLucha show outgrew the 100-person theater, finding more ample space in the Foro Shakespeare for the second season - a 225-person space that has since sold out nearly every event in the current season.

AT THE SHOW

[Warning: Non-native Spanish speakers might laugh with the audience but not know why, as the actors' language is fast, jumbled and very "chilango"].

This season's ImproLucha roster includes 16 actors - six pairs of two teammates and four referees; most actors are involved in the event's production.

Three teams battle each Thursday, with the final victors returning to compete in the next week's fight. The rotation continues for 16 games until the first semifinal on Nov. 26, ultimately concluding with a final championship game on Dec. 17.

Actual Lucha Libre wrestlers sit in the audience at each game as the invited guests of honor, joining the crowd while donning their trademark headgear.

A recent Thursday evening event started with a packed theater as stagehands toted buckets of 20-peso beer to the crowd. The scrawny referee, El Contador Anónimo (The Anonymous Accountant), played by Juan Carlos García, approached the stage dressed in an excessively nerdy ensemble.

Then began the heckling.

As the charmingly tacky referee attempted to spell out all the event's rules and guidelines, boisterous audience members screamed at him to shut up, get off the stage and other unprintable unpleasantries. Yielding to their not-so-subtle requests, the referee welcomed on stage the first pair of "luchadores," Los Reyes del Swing (The Kings of Swing).

Wearing a skintight, strikingly red dress, actress Maricarmen Núñez descended the theater staircase amidst clouds of smoke and a loud band introduction as Claudio Lafarga followed her down the steps in a sparkly gold top with black pants and suspenders.

Next on stage was the 2007 ImproLucha champion team played by - naturally - co-creators Saldaña and Medina. Staying true to Lucha Libre's cheerful employment of tongue-in-cheek stereotypes, their team Inmolación Talibana (Taliban Immolation) approached the stage in long robes and flowing headscarves before ripping back the fabric to reveal wrapped skirts underneath.

The referee reached into his facemask-adorned bag and removed a slip of paper, revealing the night's first sketch: "abuelita," an affectionate name for little old ladies. Given a choice between comedy and tragedy, the audience opted for the latter, casting their final votes with a flat palm for the Talibana team or a closed fist for the zoot suiters.

"This year, none of the games will repeat themselves," Saldaña said in an earlier interview. "In the past, we had a list of more than a hundred games that were repeated many times. Our intention now is that the actor is in risk the whole time, `risk' meaning the sensation of not knowing where the sketch will go or what is going to happen.

After a flurry of five scenarios, or rounds, at the Shakespeare theater, the Talibana duo was ultimately voted to victory, and the teams broke out into an acrobatic, overdramatic Lucha Libre brawl.

Following an incredibly short intermission, a second team, Cópula Violenta (Violent Copulation), joined the first-round winners in a match. Nearly an hour and multiple sketches later, the effeminate Leonardo Ortizgris and his partner, an androgynous substitute for actress Dione Rubio's character, ceded defeat to the returning champions.

At the end, the audience erupted into applause, both cheering on and badgering the actors in the same screeching breath.

While the on-stage word battles might seem effortless to audience members, in reality the actors are challenged with constantly creating new material and characters to keep the ImproLucha fresh, spontaneous and unpredictable.

"It's more than a challenge, it's our obligation to make sure people who come back always see new things and, year after year, say that they like it even more each time," Saldaña explained.

Another objective, he said, is to attract fans of the theater to Lucha Libre, and to draw wrestling enthusiasts into the theater.

"People here like two things," Saldaña said.

"They've never seen improvisation like this, and they're always going to see new stories told in different ways by different actors."

"This makes people want to return, and they always come back at least two or three times," he said, adding that the comedy routine has had so much success that organizers will be seeking a larger arena for the fifth season.

"The idea is to continue growing, to keep improving `luchísticamente,' theatrically and logistically, so that each time more people attend."