Certain Petunias’ Sweet 15 Party: The Presentation Era

(By Sergio Arboleya) The female humorous-musical ensemble Certain Petunias exhibits in “El Quince-Frágil esplendor”, an accurate show offered on Fridays at the El Galpón de Guevara venue in Buenos Aires, a reflective collective celebration where its members trace a journey of the representation of characters and situations to almost express themselves in the first person to build a hilarious fiction crossed by the situation.

Set around the preparations and the realization of the traditional Fiesta de 15, the group takes advantage of this context full of rituals and common places, and from there gives an enjoyable plea of ​​women and artists of this time.

The performance, originally intended to celebrate the decade and a half of activity of the group formed in 2005, was suspended due to the pandemic, but Certain Petunias seems to have taken advantage of that time and in the space in the Chacarita neighborhood of Buenos Aires where it is in its second season. of “El Quince…” reflects the difficult and delicate transition from representation to presentation.

“We believe that there is something that has not changed over the years, which is the combination of music and humor, the self-confidence of encouraging us to mix everything, dare different musical genres, laugh at ourselves and inhabit the absurd. There a dialogue is established with the other three shows; but in this we go a little deeper to reflect on some issues related to social mandates, desires ”, Camila Campodónico told Télam at the beginning of this second season of “El Quince…”.

In that interview, where the artist also spoke on behalf of her colleagues, she noted: “We are around 40 years old, we belong to a generation to which the irruption of this new wave of feminisms came to challenge us as adults and mothers. And we are aware that we cannot and do not want to stay on the sidelines. And much less if we choose to approach a ritual fully associated with the feminine and often loaded with patriarchal impositions.

The cast brings together Campodónico with two other original members: Magdalena Barla and Natalia Guevara, and is completed with Lucía Braude and Tania Valsecchi to form a solvent off-road band from the sound, vocal and acting aspects.

And here, without diminishing the acting talents of the quintet in their facets as singers, instrumentalists and comedians, the formation finds its own group voice to question the present and take a position in the midst of gags and songs that follow one another within the framework of the party for the 15 years of the Petunias.

The action takes place in the typical room that is rented for those celebrations for adolescent girls and the first risk taken occurs right there, because it is not about organizing a person’s birthday but, in this case, a brotherhood.

The common economic problems and the “should be” of having to assume the stipulated celebration account for a first shift as the artists go from referring to habitual elements of those conclaves to retracing, not without setbacks, their own entertainment.

“Enough of invoking the energy of lack”, challenges one, and after the flamenco “Gypsy Financing” they all unite in the hope of betting on the legs of the horse “El rayo loco” at the racetrack, and although the result of the career is not as expected, a fortuitous matter linked to other equine gifts enables them to face the desired gala.

Between uses and customs that operate as a heavy inheritance to be repeated as a condemnation (the presence of the DJ-entertainer Aníbal and the addresses with thanks and family mentions), the quintet manages to shake those legacies and -comicity and delirium through- say yours.

With the special night ahead, there is a single passage where the squad breaks down to perform with songs and gives a hilarious passage based on the songs that each one chooses and where they coexist from “DLG” by Fito Páez to “Like a Prayer” by Madonna, through Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” and Shakira’s “Inevitable”.

With the voice of the DJ (operating in a function similar to that of the announcer who presented the talent competitions in “What a beautiful kermesse!”, his previous show premiered in 2015), the performers combine skits (that of a living statue and a duo of mentalists) without ever abandoning the exquisite musical pulse that distinguishes them and that is capable of embracing diverse genres.

And it is towards the end of that coven where Certain Petunias exposes her testimony more clearly, when from her own pieces she sings ideas such as “I can only bear the bad things in life if I can sing them”, “we wake up earlier than our mothers, but later than our daughters” and “life is more rehearsal than stage”.

Or at the moment in which during another passage of greetings, one of them decides to name Uncle Saúl “who supported me since I was little but tonight he didn’t dare.”

“El Quince-Frágil esplendor”, the fourth show of the Petunias, is directed by Agustín Soler and musically produced by Micaela Vita and Juan Saraco (a duo that also shares the band Duratierra) and has two performances left on Fridays at 8:30 p.m. in the space located at Guevara 326.