Susa y Epifanio
Encyclopedia
Epifanio González Villamil is a fictional character (played by Puerto Rican comedian
, special education
teacher
, choreographer and dancer Víctor Alicea), who, along with his on-again, off-again partner, Jesusa Cruz Avilés (played by Puerto Rican singer and comedienne Carmen Nydia Velázquez) have appeared in popular radio and television programs in Puerto Rico for close to twenty years. Susa y Epifanio have enjoyed sustained popularity in the island country regardless of the media format and program format their interpreters have had to adopt through the years. They currently appear on the radio program "Prende El Fogón" which airs weekdays at noon (AST) on WSKN-AM in San Juan
, and on "El Fogón TV", aired on weekdays at 5:00 PM (AST) on WORO-TV
in Carolina
. They also make frequent personal appearances all through Puerto Rico.
Carmen Nydia Velázquez is quick to remind people of the existence of her namesake, Nydia Velázquez
, a Puerto Rico-born congresswoman for the Lower East Side
section of New York City
. The two are not directly related.
sometime near 1945, and claims to having been raised in an upper class subsection of town called "La Rambla" (named after Les Rambles in Barcelona
, a city after which many of Ponce's features and landmarks have been modeled upon). In reality, according to their one-time producer, Luisito Vigoreaux
, Don Epifanio was born on the coastal sub-section of La Guancha
, which is a working class neighborhood. Since ponceños (the inhabitants of Ponce) have a reputation for being very fond of their hometown at best -and have a rather snob
byish attitude about it at their worst, in a way that reminds people of the civic pride of Texans
with long-term genealogical
ties to the state (Ponce is named after Juan Ponce de León
's family) have about it-, Don Epifanio considers Ponce to be heaven on Earth, and is a constant promoter of the phrase: "Ponce es Ponce y lo demás es parking" ("Ponce is Ponce, and the rest –of Puerto Rico- is parking
). However, he has since reluctantly moved to Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
, where he lives.
Epifanio is a merchant, usually owning kiosks, small eateries or clubs. Due to his age, Epifanio's hair is grey, although reportedly because of a toupée
he wears to conceal his baldness
. Most often he wears a red guayabera
shirt with long sleeves. More character traits are explained later in the article.
", whose basic format has been followed as a formula for almost 70 years in Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and other Latin American media. The "Taller de Actores Puertorriqueños" (Puerto Rican Actors' Workshop), of which Alicea was a member, set up an entire story behind the parody, as to make it resemble the original but exaggerating its main story line as to make it absurd enough to have a comedy made out it.
At the initial stages of the character, Don Epifanio had a laundromat, something that was unbecoming of his avowed origins. His sister was also his partner in the laundry's administrative duties, and constantly had to bring Epifanio to his senses, since his rather caustic sense of humor and constant anger tended to rub the laundry's patrons off.
Epifanio had never married and his sister was divorced (she shared a bit of his misanthropy
and had a hard time having and keeping a partner). Therefore, when they once found a baby girl inside a trash can in front of their laundromat, they raised her as their "niece". The girl, Chachita, turned to be a pretty, short, shrill-voiced teenager, who befriended Papo Tennis, a tall, unemployed young man who wore basketball garb and constantly went to the Laundromat to clean his tennis shoes using the laundry's equipment. Epifanio hated Papo for many reasons: his tennis shoes would break the equipment up and Epifanio would use this as an excuse, but the real reason was their perceived social class differences. Epifanio, whose skin isn't "fair" by any means, would be openly racist towards Afro-Puerto Rican Papo. He would attempt to sabotage any of Chachita's efforts to go out with Papo, and for this he would put his considerable talent as a miser
to good use. Most of these attempts would inevitably backfire (or would somehow hint Chachita of her lineage, something that, according to the story, would have to remain a secret forever given the circumstances of Chachita's adoption), and hence, would make the plot of the story each day, since "El Derecho de Lavar" was a daily 20-minute section within a daily variety show (then aired on WLUZ-TV, San Juan
's former Channel 7)
The format proved to be too rigid to sustain over time, so some of the logic behind the novela spoof was relaxed in a newer inception, "Epifanio's Laundromat", which was more centered on Epifanio himself. His attempts to attract clientele and sustain the laundromat would almost always have disastrous results.
The owner of WLUZ-TV, Tommy Muñiz
, grew tired of the constant struggles he faced to sustain his television channel, and as a result, sold the station to foreign owners, who changed the station's format drastically. As a result, much of the station's talent (including Alicea) were forced to migrate elsewhere. Alicea then joined Luisito Vigoreaux
's production company, and for close to twelve years starred in Vigoreaux's best-rated television comedies. One of these paired him with Velázquez, starting a partnership that has remained strong ever since.
s or the dancers themselves. Most often than not he would befriend "La Canita", a dumb blonde
stereotype
character played by Puerto Rican comedienne Waleska Seda, who would live off Epifanio and get him into financial trouble. This penchance for promiscuity
earned Epifanio the moniker "El Viejo Daña'o" (from "dañado", which literally translates to "The Damaged Old Man"). The epithet "viejo daña'o" has since become a common synonym in Puerto Rico for "viejo verde", the Spanish phrase used to depict "dirty ol' men".
Given more physical space to act (since the WLUZ-TV's studios were rather small) Alicea then incorporated physical comedy
elements to the character, some of which can be directly attributed to Groucho Marx
and Charlie Chaplin
, were somehow lost in the translation to Spanish of these comedians' work, and were therefore innovative in Puerto Rican comedy. Epifanio would also throw things on purpose and delibetately missing the target, a technique used by Cuban-born comedic actor Leopoldo Fernandez, Jr., who was very popular in Puerto Rico at the time.
(PPD in Spanish), to the point of becoming an unofficial symbol for the party. The character has acted as comic relief on party rallies and fundraisers, and constantly dresses in red, the party's color. Alicea, who is actually a supporter of Puerto Rican independence
, again used his father as a basis for this. He builds upon the traditional loyalty of older members of the PPD to Luis Muñoz Marín
, which borders in the near-religious. As a result of these cultural nuances, Epifanio would describe himself as "¡¡Católico y Popularrrrrrr!!" (Roman Catholic and PPD member), trilling the last "r" for emphasis (as the character often does). When reminded that Roman Catholics aren't supposed to be as sexually "damaged" as he is, he either changes the subject rather obviously (very rarely) or claims that there is no reason for his proclivities to impede on his affiliations.
Already militantly partial to both the PPD and his hometown of Ponce, when the mayor of Ponce, Rafael Cordero Santiago
, became a strong leader of the PPD, Epifanio incorporated more references to Ponce and its mayor in his lines. He had to slightly minimize these after Cordero's untimely death from a stroke.
Jesusa Cruz Avilés was born in Las Marías, Puerto Rico
. Nicknamed "Susa", she jokingly claims to be a distant relative of Tom Cruise
, whose last name is a homophone
of "Cruz" (and who has no relation with Puerto Rico at all). She is well known for being the best "fritolera" (fritter cook) in Puerto Rico, having a reputation for having invented the "alcapurrias bisexuales" (bisexual alcapurrias), named as such by Epifanio due to their ambiguous shape. As many cooks in rural Puerto Rican eateries do, Susa constantly wears a hair mesh.
Susa is known for being good natured, naive at times, not too-well educated (words with more than three syllables give her trouble), for speaking atrocious English, and yet for being a New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
(PNP, in Spanish) supporter (as many pro-statehood Puerto Ricans are). She is single by choice, since her standard in men have to resemble either Cruise or PNP leader Pedro Rosselló
, something that is rather difficult to find in Puerto Rico. She is also a good "jíbaro
" singer (which gives away on Velázquez's own talents as a singer), and is considerably more street-smart than Epifanio. Her trademark phrase is "¡Fuera, catarro!" ("Cold bug, go away!"), usually said as a wish for something unpleasant to go away (and particularly, referring to Epifanio).
when insulted, something that inevitably causes Epifanio considerable physical pain.
Later on, Epifanio became an occasional sexual harasser of Susa's, parodying Puerto Rican relatively lax community standards on the practice. Her mild (and sometimes supportive) reaction towards this somehow hinted that she had at least a passing phyisical attraction towards Epifanio. Epifanio would constantly make passes at her, asking her to join him at "las latas" ("the cans", or warehouse space, at the back of his establishments), and pinching her, to the battle cry of "¡Te picó el juey!" ("The crab just pinched you!"). She would then either verbally humiliate him in front of other people as retaliation, or would physically assault him to keep him at bay. At times, though, sparks would fly between the two, something which they would deny when asked about it.
Somehow this blatantly antagonistic relationship would be sustained without either deteriorating further (or being consummated sexually, on the other hand) over their mutual programs' seasons. Susa would actually attempt to bring some sense into Epifanio's financial and personal life, with very little success. Epifanio would then claim he needed Susa, at least as a verbal target.
Puerto Rican disc-jockey and television presenter Antonio Sánchez, "El Gangster", would make constant reference to a fabled (some say infamous) motel
in Caguas, Puerto Rico
, "La Hamaca" ("The Hammock") in his radio and television programs. Some television comedy characters in Puerto Rico would make occasional references to La Hamaca, and as a consequence of this, a vaudeville
comedy play, called "Amor en La Hamaca" was written and produced (by Vigoreaux and his partners) to capitalize on the reference. The first installment of the play was successful, and a second run, having little to do with the first play, was written with Susa and Epifanio in mind. This would make good use of Velázquez's singing and Alicea's dancing skills (he was a choreographer for Iris Chacón
once). In it, Susa and Epifanio would at last consummate their physical relationship, not without some absurd situations thrown in for comedy. "Amor en La Hamaca II" would become the longest-running play in Puerto Rican history, playing over 4 consecutive years.
After their "night at the latas", Susa and Epifanio would hint on having had additional nights together, but would tend to be discreet about it (or at least Susa was; Epifanio would give away details to her sheer horror).
", "El Kiosco Budweiser" and "Café Teatro El Fogón", over various Puerto Rican television stations. They would also be featured constantly in Puerto Rican patron saint feasts, honoring the founding of each of the island nation's municipalities. On their live shows they would sing parodies of Puerto Rican song standards ridiculing each other, and would make fun of each other, particularly over that fateful night at "La Hamaca". They have also recorded a Christmas record together.
Velázquez tried her hand at entrepreneurship, and opened a night club in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
; she would try to cater to every segment of the local market: from family comedy afternoons on Sundays to male stripper
shows on Tuesdays. Susa Cruz would sometimes guest on some of the shows. The night club was forced to close after four months due to licensing restrictions (and some controversy from the club's neighbors).
When most Puerto Rican television stations opted to reduce local programming in favor of syndicated shows produced elsewhere, Alicea and Velázquez started a radio program, "Prende El Fogón", on WSKN-AM (later moved to WIAC-AM). On this program they would comment the news (Susa would sometimes sing a décima
commenting a particular item), and open the phone lines. Susa and Epifanio would ridicule each other's political views, but more often they would ridicule the Puerto Rican political scene, something they claim would fit right into Gabriel García Márquez
's fictional town of Macondo
in his book One Hundred Years of Solitude
.
The program has proven to be an audience favorite. It also opened a community service vehicle for Alicea and Velázquez, and particularly for Alicea. While acting as Epifanio, Alicea has become a constant promoter of Puerto Rican artists and acts, covering the full spectre of the Puerto Rican humanities' scene. He now voices his political opinions openly and vehemently, championing animal rights, drama and music classes on Puerto Rican public schools, gay and lesbian rights, better living conditions for the elderly, the HIV positive and children, and other liberal causes. This has somehow rehabilitated Epifanio's image among Puerto Ricans, dismissing his "viejo daña'o" antics in favor of a more tolerant, less grumpy image. He still uses risqué humor to refer to women he physically likes, which he calls "potrancas" (young mares
), and make the occasional pass to Susa.
Susa and Epifanio have also taken their "Fogón" format into television. On their current television program, "El Fogón TV", they attempt to interview political figures using humor to disarm them. Puerto Rican governor Anibal Acevedo Vilá
was their first guest.
Lately, Susa and Epifanio have recorded various radio and television advertisements, particularly for products and services catering to the aged (supplementary health plans, audiology
services and the like). They also made a cameo appearance
in Luis Molina Casanova's film "El Sueño del Regreso".
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, choreographer and dancer Víctor Alicea), who, along with his on-again, off-again partner, Jesusa Cruz Avilés (played by Puerto Rican singer and comedienne Carmen Nydia Velázquez) have appeared in popular radio and television programs in Puerto Rico for close to twenty years. Susa y Epifanio have enjoyed sustained popularity in the island country regardless of the media format and program format their interpreters have had to adopt through the years. They currently appear on the radio program "Prende El Fogón" which airs weekdays at noon (AST) on WSKN-AM in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, and on "El Fogón TV", aired on weekdays at 5:00 PM (AST) on WORO-TV
WORO-TV
WORO-DT is a full-power, educational/religious television station located in San Juan, Puerto Rico transmitting over digital channel 13. The station is owned by Puerto Rico's Roman Catholic Church and is branded as TeleOro.-History:...
in Carolina
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...
. They also make frequent personal appearances all through Puerto Rico.
Carmen Nydia Velázquez is quick to remind people of the existence of her namesake, Nydia Velázquez
Nydia Velázquez
Nydia Margarita Velázquez is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes residential areas of three boroughs...
, a Puerto Rico-born congresswoman for the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
section of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The two are not directly related.
Epifanio, the character
Don Epifanio was born in Ponce, Puerto RicoPonce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
sometime near 1945, and claims to having been raised in an upper class subsection of town called "La Rambla" (named after Les Rambles in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, a city after which many of Ponce's features and landmarks have been modeled upon). In reality, according to their one-time producer, Luisito Vigoreaux
Luisito Vigoreaux
Luis Vigoreaux Lorenzana is a Puerto Rican actor and producer. He is the son of Luis Vigoreaux, a legendary Puerto Rican media personality and Rosaura Lorenzana Vilches...
, Don Epifanio was born on the coastal sub-section of La Guancha
Guanches
Guanches is the name given to the aboriginal Berber inhabitants of the Canary Islands. It is believed that they migrated to the archipelago sometime between 1000 BCE and 100 BCE or perhaps earlier...
, which is a working class neighborhood. Since ponceños (the inhabitants of Ponce) have a reputation for being very fond of their hometown at best -and have a rather snob
Snob
A snob is someone who believes that some people are inherently inferior to him or her for any one of a variety of reasons, including real or supposed intellect, wealth, education, ancestry, taste, beauty, nationality, et cetera. Often, the form of snobbery reflects the snob's personal attributes...
byish attitude about it at their worst, in a way that reminds people of the civic pride of Texans
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
with long-term genealogical
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
ties to the state (Ponce is named after Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
's family) have about it-, Don Epifanio considers Ponce to be heaven on Earth, and is a constant promoter of the phrase: "Ponce es Ponce y lo demás es parking" ("Ponce is Ponce, and the rest –of Puerto Rico- is parking
Parking
Parking is the act of stopping a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied for more than a brief time. Parking on one or both sides of a road is commonly permitted, though often with restrictions...
). However, he has since reluctantly moved to Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Old San Juan is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico and it is the historic colonial section of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Location:...
, where he lives.
Epifanio is a merchant, usually owning kiosks, small eateries or clubs. Due to his age, Epifanio's hair is grey, although reportedly because of a toupée
Toupee
A toupée is a hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women also use hairpieces to lengthen existing hair, or cover partially exposed scalp...
he wears to conceal his baldness
Baldness
Baldness implies partial or complete lack of hair and can be understood as part of the wider topic of "hair thinning". The degree and pattern of baldness can vary greatly, but its most common cause is male and female pattern baldness, also known as androgenic alopecia, alopecia androgenetica or...
. Most often he wears a red guayabera
Guayabera
The guayabera is a men's shirt popular in Latin America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Zimbabwe. It is also more recently known as a "Mexican Wedding Shirt."-History:...
shirt with long sleeves. More character traits are explained later in the article.
Character history
Víctor Alicea has repeatedly stated that he mainly modeled Epifanio González Villamil after his own father, with added characteristics from daily observations of real people. The character was born within "El Derecho de Lavar", a comedy spoof on a particular radio (later television) novela, "El derecho de nacerEl derecho de nacer
El derecho de nacer is the name of three Mexican productions as well as the Cuban novel that inspired them all about a young and unmarried high society woman seeking to abort her baby and the doctor who in counseling her tells his own story as an out-of-wedlock child.*El derecho de nacer is the...
", whose basic format has been followed as a formula for almost 70 years in Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and other Latin American media. The "Taller de Actores Puertorriqueños" (Puerto Rican Actors' Workshop), of which Alicea was a member, set up an entire story behind the parody, as to make it resemble the original but exaggerating its main story line as to make it absurd enough to have a comedy made out it.
At the initial stages of the character, Don Epifanio had a laundromat, something that was unbecoming of his avowed origins. His sister was also his partner in the laundry's administrative duties, and constantly had to bring Epifanio to his senses, since his rather caustic sense of humor and constant anger tended to rub the laundry's patrons off.
Epifanio had never married and his sister was divorced (she shared a bit of his misanthropy
Misanthropy
Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope, or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings...
and had a hard time having and keeping a partner). Therefore, when they once found a baby girl inside a trash can in front of their laundromat, they raised her as their "niece". The girl, Chachita, turned to be a pretty, short, shrill-voiced teenager, who befriended Papo Tennis, a tall, unemployed young man who wore basketball garb and constantly went to the Laundromat to clean his tennis shoes using the laundry's equipment. Epifanio hated Papo for many reasons: his tennis shoes would break the equipment up and Epifanio would use this as an excuse, but the real reason was their perceived social class differences. Epifanio, whose skin isn't "fair" by any means, would be openly racist towards Afro-Puerto Rican Papo. He would attempt to sabotage any of Chachita's efforts to go out with Papo, and for this he would put his considerable talent as a miser
Miser
A miser, cheapskate, snipe-snout, penny pincher, piker, scrooge, skinflint or tightwad is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities...
to good use. Most of these attempts would inevitably backfire (or would somehow hint Chachita of her lineage, something that, according to the story, would have to remain a secret forever given the circumstances of Chachita's adoption), and hence, would make the plot of the story each day, since "El Derecho de Lavar" was a daily 20-minute section within a daily variety show (then aired on WLUZ-TV, San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
's former Channel 7)
The format proved to be too rigid to sustain over time, so some of the logic behind the novela spoof was relaxed in a newer inception, "Epifanio's Laundromat", which was more centered on Epifanio himself. His attempts to attract clientele and sustain the laundromat would almost always have disastrous results.
The owner of WLUZ-TV, Tommy Muñiz
Tommy Muñiz
Lucas Tomás Muñiz Ramírez , better known as Tommy Muñiz, was a Puerto Rican comedy and drama actor, media producer, businessman and network owner...
, grew tired of the constant struggles he faced to sustain his television channel, and as a result, sold the station to foreign owners, who changed the station's format drastically. As a result, much of the station's talent (including Alicea) were forced to migrate elsewhere. Alicea then joined Luisito Vigoreaux
Luisito Vigoreaux
Luis Vigoreaux Lorenzana is a Puerto Rican actor and producer. He is the son of Luis Vigoreaux, a legendary Puerto Rican media personality and Rosaura Lorenzana Vilches...
's production company, and for close to twelve years starred in Vigoreaux's best-rated television comedies. One of these paired him with Velázquez, starting a partnership that has remained strong ever since.
El Viejo Daña'o
On the character's newer plot lines, Epifanio was still a misanthrope and was less racist than before, but would also turn out to be a geriatric sex addict, who would constantly attend the nearby "El Pocito Dulce A-Go-Go Girl Bar", and hence would almost always be broke after spending his money in lap danceLap dance
A lap dance is a type of sex work performed in some strip clubs in which a naked or topless dancer performs an erotic dance either in immediate contact with a seated patron, or within a very short distance. With full-contact lap dances, the stripper may engage in non-penetrative sexual contact...
s or the dancers themselves. Most often than not he would befriend "La Canita", a dumb blonde
Dumb blonde
The blonde stereotype, the stereotypical perception of blond-haired women, has two aspects. On one hand, over the history, blonde hair in women has been considered attractive and desirable...
stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
character played by Puerto Rican comedienne Waleska Seda, who would live off Epifanio and get him into financial trouble. This penchance for promiscuity
Promiscuity
In humans, promiscuity refers to less discriminating casual sex with many sexual partners. The term carries a moral or religious judgement and is viewed in the context of the mainstream social ideal for sexual activity to take place within exclusive committed relationships...
earned Epifanio the moniker "El Viejo Daña'o" (from "dañado", which literally translates to "The Damaged Old Man"). The epithet "viejo daña'o" has since become a common synonym in Puerto Rico for "viejo verde", the Spanish phrase used to depict "dirty ol' men".
Given more physical space to act (since the WLUZ-TV's studios were rather small) Alicea then incorporated physical comedy
Physical comedy
Physical comedy, also known as slapstick, is a comedic performance relying mostly on the use of the body to convey humour.Physical comedy, whether conveyed by a pratfall , a silly face, or the action of walking into walls, is a common and rarely subtle form of comedy...
elements to the character, some of which can be directly attributed to Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
and Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
, were somehow lost in the translation to Spanish of these comedians' work, and were therefore innovative in Puerto Rican comedy. Epifanio would also throw things on purpose and delibetately missing the target, a technique used by Cuban-born comedic actor Leopoldo Fernandez, Jr., who was very popular in Puerto Rico at the time.
¡¡Católico y Popularrrrrrr!!
Epifanio would also acknowledge a stronger affiliation to the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto RicoPopular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth....
(PPD in Spanish), to the point of becoming an unofficial symbol for the party. The character has acted as comic relief on party rallies and fundraisers, and constantly dresses in red, the party's color. Alicea, who is actually a supporter of Puerto Rican independence
Puerto Rican independence movement
The Puerto Rican independence movement refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at obtaining independence for the Island, first from Spain, and then from the United States...
, again used his father as a basis for this. He builds upon the traditional loyalty of older members of the PPD to Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
, which borders in the near-religious. As a result of these cultural nuances, Epifanio would describe himself as "¡¡Católico y Popularrrrrrr!!" (Roman Catholic and PPD member), trilling the last "r" for emphasis (as the character often does). When reminded that Roman Catholics aren't supposed to be as sexually "damaged" as he is, he either changes the subject rather obviously (very rarely) or claims that there is no reason for his proclivities to impede on his affiliations.
Already militantly partial to both the PPD and his hometown of Ponce, when the mayor of Ponce, Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago – better known as Churumba – was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as the Greatest Lion in reference to the city's nickname of The Lion City of Ponce...
, became a strong leader of the PPD, Epifanio incorporated more references to Ponce and its mayor in his lines. He had to slightly minimize these after Cordero's untimely death from a stroke.
Susa Cruz
Epifanio was then paired with Susa Cruz, setting up a comedic duo that would greatly rely on the acknowledged sexual and political tension between the two.Jesusa Cruz Avilés was born in Las Marías, Puerto Rico
Las Marías, Puerto Rico
Las Marías is a municipality of Puerto Rico located north of Maricao; southeast of Añasco; south of San Sebastián; east of Mayagüez; and west of Lares...
. Nicknamed "Susa", she jokingly claims to be a distant relative of Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
, whose last name is a homophone
Homophone
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
of "Cruz" (and who has no relation with Puerto Rico at all). She is well known for being the best "fritolera" (fritter cook) in Puerto Rico, having a reputation for having invented the "alcapurrias bisexuales" (bisexual alcapurrias), named as such by Epifanio due to their ambiguous shape. As many cooks in rural Puerto Rican eateries do, Susa constantly wears a hair mesh.
Susa is known for being good natured, naive at times, not too-well educated (words with more than three syllables give her trouble), for speaking atrocious English, and yet for being a New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
(PNP, in Spanish) supporter (as many pro-statehood Puerto Ricans are). She is single by choice, since her standard in men have to resemble either Cruise or PNP leader Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
, something that is rather difficult to find in Puerto Rico. She is also a good "jíbaro
Jíbaro
Jíbaro is a term from the Taíno words "jiba" and "ro", that means forest people, commonly used in Puerto Rico to refer to mountain-dwelling peasants, but in modern times it has gained a broader cultural meaning.-History:...
" singer (which gives away on Velázquez's own talents as a singer), and is considerably more street-smart than Epifanio. Her trademark phrase is "¡Fuera, catarro!" ("Cold bug, go away!"), usually said as a wish for something unpleasant to go away (and particularly, referring to Epifanio).
Mutual relationship
Susa somehow manages to continue a business relationship with Epifanio, who has always been abusive towards her. At the beginning, he was blatantly racist against Susa (due to her darker skin color), and called her a "monita" (monkey). Audience protests and complaints from Afro-Puerto Rican community leaders have only diminished Epifanio's rants, and he blames her troubles on her being "prieta, bruta y penepé" (black, dumb and PNP member). Susa almost always counters this by hitting Epifanio with her by-now legendary handbagHandbag
A handbag, or purse in American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag that is often fashionably designed, typically used by women, to hold personal items such as wallet/coins, keys, cosmetics, a hairbrush, pepper spray, cigarettes, mobile phone etc....
when insulted, something that inevitably causes Epifanio considerable physical pain.
Later on, Epifanio became an occasional sexual harasser of Susa's, parodying Puerto Rican relatively lax community standards on the practice. Her mild (and sometimes supportive) reaction towards this somehow hinted that she had at least a passing phyisical attraction towards Epifanio. Epifanio would constantly make passes at her, asking her to join him at "las latas" ("the cans", or warehouse space, at the back of his establishments), and pinching her, to the battle cry of "¡Te picó el juey!" ("The crab just pinched you!"). She would then either verbally humiliate him in front of other people as retaliation, or would physically assault him to keep him at bay. At times, though, sparks would fly between the two, something which they would deny when asked about it.
Somehow this blatantly antagonistic relationship would be sustained without either deteriorating further (or being consummated sexually, on the other hand) over their mutual programs' seasons. Susa would actually attempt to bring some sense into Epifanio's financial and personal life, with very little success. Epifanio would then claim he needed Susa, at least as a verbal target.
Puerto Rican disc-jockey and television presenter Antonio Sánchez, "El Gangster", would make constant reference to a fabled (some say infamous) motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
in Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....
, "La Hamaca" ("The Hammock") in his radio and television programs. Some television comedy characters in Puerto Rico would make occasional references to La Hamaca, and as a consequence of this, a vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
comedy play, called "Amor en La Hamaca" was written and produced (by Vigoreaux and his partners) to capitalize on the reference. The first installment of the play was successful, and a second run, having little to do with the first play, was written with Susa and Epifanio in mind. This would make good use of Velázquez's singing and Alicea's dancing skills (he was a choreographer for Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón is a dancer, singer, and entertainer. She enjoys great popularity in Puerto Rico and in other Latin American countries, as well as such US locales as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.-Career:Chacon has been known by various nicknames, such as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" Iris Chacón...
once). In it, Susa and Epifanio would at last consummate their physical relationship, not without some absurd situations thrown in for comedy. "Amor en La Hamaca II" would become the longest-running play in Puerto Rican history, playing over 4 consecutive years.
After their "night at the latas", Susa and Epifanio would hint on having had additional nights together, but would tend to be discreet about it (or at least Susa was; Epifanio would give away details to her sheer horror).
Radio and television program runs
Susa and Epifanio would star in various inceptions of their show on Puerto Rican television: "Susa y Epifanio", "La Taberna BudweiserBudweiser (Anheuser-Busch)
Budweiser is a 5.0% abv American-style lager introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch and one of the highest selling beers in the United States. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the world...
", "El Kiosco Budweiser" and "Café Teatro El Fogón", over various Puerto Rican television stations. They would also be featured constantly in Puerto Rican patron saint feasts, honoring the founding of each of the island nation's municipalities. On their live shows they would sing parodies of Puerto Rican song standards ridiculing each other, and would make fun of each other, particularly over that fateful night at "La Hamaca". They have also recorded a Christmas record together.
Velázquez tried her hand at entrepreneurship, and opened a night club in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
; she would try to cater to every segment of the local market: from family comedy afternoons on Sundays to male stripper
Stripper
A stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer,...
shows on Tuesdays. Susa Cruz would sometimes guest on some of the shows. The night club was forced to close after four months due to licensing restrictions (and some controversy from the club's neighbors).
When most Puerto Rican television stations opted to reduce local programming in favor of syndicated shows produced elsewhere, Alicea and Velázquez started a radio program, "Prende El Fogón", on WSKN-AM (later moved to WIAC-AM). On this program they would comment the news (Susa would sometimes sing a décima
Décima
A décima refers to a ten-line stanza of poetry, and the song form generally consists of forty-four lines...
commenting a particular item), and open the phone lines. Susa and Epifanio would ridicule each other's political views, but more often they would ridicule the Puerto Rican political scene, something they claim would fit right into Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
's fictional town of Macondo
Macondo
For the oil spill, see: Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosionMacondo is a fictional town described in Gabriel García Márquez's novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. It is the home town of the Buendía family.-Aracataca:...
in his book One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude , by Gabriel García Márquez, is a novel which tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founds the town of Macondo, the metaphoric Colombia...
.
The program has proven to be an audience favorite. It also opened a community service vehicle for Alicea and Velázquez, and particularly for Alicea. While acting as Epifanio, Alicea has become a constant promoter of Puerto Rican artists and acts, covering the full spectre of the Puerto Rican humanities' scene. He now voices his political opinions openly and vehemently, championing animal rights, drama and music classes on Puerto Rican public schools, gay and lesbian rights, better living conditions for the elderly, the HIV positive and children, and other liberal causes. This has somehow rehabilitated Epifanio's image among Puerto Ricans, dismissing his "viejo daña'o" antics in favor of a more tolerant, less grumpy image. He still uses risqué humor to refer to women he physically likes, which he calls "potrancas" (young mares
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
), and make the occasional pass to Susa.
Susa and Epifanio have also taken their "Fogón" format into television. On their current television program, "El Fogón TV", they attempt to interview political figures using humor to disarm them. Puerto Rican governor Anibal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
was their first guest.
Lately, Susa and Epifanio have recorded various radio and television advertisements, particularly for products and services catering to the aged (supplementary health plans, audiology
Audiology
Audiology is the branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Its practitioners, who treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage are audiologists. Employing various testing strategies Audiology (from Latin , "to hear"; and from Greek , -logia) is...
services and the like). They also made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in Luis Molina Casanova's film "El Sueño del Regreso".