Emilio Lovera with His Stand up Act, In February, Live from Seminole Theatre La Piñata Latinoamericana
On February 2, the famous Venezuelan comedian Emilio Lovera will perform live in Homestead, Florida, with his show “La Piñata Latinoamericana” (“The Latin-American Piñata”). In conversation with Go! Latinos Magazine, Emilio told us about his show, his home country and his career as a comedian.
For 26 years, Emilio Lovera, also known as The Man of a Thousand Faces, was in the spotlight of Venezuela’s show business and became a comedy icon with programs such as Radio Rochela—which launched him to stardom—Humor at First Sight and The Thousand faces of Emilio Lovera, honoring his nickname.
After his successful stint on Venezuelan television in the ‘80s and ‘90s, he then became known, especially among the young, for his stand-up comedy shows and for playing all the voices of the successful animated series “Isla Presidencial” (Presidential Island), that recounted the experiences of Hispanic presidents while lost on an island.
“The success of the series is due to its innovation, its groundbreaking topic and a high dose of satire and political humor. Probably the most successful attempt for an animated series in social networks due to its rapid reception by young people,” says Lovera, who in turn says that with his shows, he tries to reach as many audiences as possible of different ages, sex, and socioeconomic and cultural background. A way of going out of his comfort zone, he tries new material and chooses the catchiest.
He also told us about Venezuela and the crisis in his home country, “The greatest responsibility that Venezuelan comedians have is to turn our speech into a message with laughter, using humor as a vehicle for reflection. This made the government angry, first because they are the only ones who do not understand our jokes, and second because when we expose their ignorance, incompetence and shame, the public laughs willingly.”
Although the Venezuelan government has constantly persecuted the entertainment industry, in this case through the Tax Collection Body shutting the venues down at the last minute where live shows are presented, Emilio continues to work in Venezuela and for Venezuela. “The shows my company produces continue to offer the cheapest tickets in the market and we continue creating new comedy acts such as “Hysteria of Venezuela” (a realistic look at history),” he said.
He thanks all Venezuelans abroad who have supported him constantly to continue working as before, making him part of their nostalgia. “I ask them, from the safety of their exile, to remain in solidarity with those who cannot leave, with those who do not want to leave and with those like me that should not leave Venezuela. To them, thank you very much.”
His show “La Piñata Latinoamericana,” which will be live at the Seminole Theater in Homestead next February 2, takes a tour of our Latino culture, experiences and situations. For Lovera, none of his acts are exactly the same as the previous one, that’s why he now brings current material on immigration that is unprecedented. “This time I’m not talking about the mistakes that an immigrant goes through, but about the ones made by the citizens of a country when dealing with a foreigner. That seems original and important to me.”
This stand-up act will show us why being Latino is a great virtue: “We are happy, we are intelligent, we are supportive,” says Lovera. And it points out our positive differences with other cultures, “We have what the Americans lack, which is precisely our happy way of living life, our openness and passion. We learn from them discipline and respect for the law, but they dream of being happy all the time,” he concluded.
Tickets and information are also available at the Seminole Theatre box office, 786-650-2073 or at 18 N Krome Ave, Homestead, FL. The box office is open Tuesday-Saturday 12:00-6:00pm or http://www.seminoletheatre.org
Haz clic para leer en Español: En febrero, en vivo desde el Seminole Theatre Emilio Lovera con su show \’La Piñata Latinoamericana\’
