Cha Cha Cha (TV show)
Encyclopedia
Cha Cha Cha was an Argentine
sketch comedy
television program
aired in the 1990s on América TV, starring Alfredo Casero
, Fabio Alberti, Diego Capusotto
, and others. It was characterized by absurd humour
, sometimes bordering on the surreal
.
Casero himself announced the cancellation of the show, and described it like this: "It had that half and half... with the guarangadas(crude, uneducated words) that we used to say... We like the refiné stuff, and we also like that funny thing of getting your fingers into mayonnaise to catch an olive." Soon afterwards, in an interview, he stated the reason for the cancellation flatly: "There's no place on television for our show... If I had a TV channel I'd fire the folks of Cha cha cha too."
, making them sometimes difficult to understand. Other were parodies
, such as Juan Carlos Batman, where Casero played an Argentine (and fat) version of Batman
, or Siddharta Kiwi, a skinny fakir
or guru
performed by Diego Capusotto, who proposed unconventional solutions to everyday problems.
The most controversial sketch was Todos juntos en capilla, which came usually last of every emission. In it, Fabio Alberti played a Catholic
-style priest
who told supposedly edifying but ludicrous stories of a martyr saint called Peperino Pómoro. This prompted a reaction of a conservative Catholic association called Fundación Argentina del Mañana, who launched a campaign against the sketch by sending letters to the channel and the commercial sponsors, finally achieving its cancellation.
, which made these two actors even more popular.
There were also many appearances of famous people such as Alejandro Lerner
, Jorge Lanata
, Enrique Macaya Márquez, Charly Alberti
, Diego "Chavo" Fucks, Marcos Zucker
, and even of Alfredo Casero's son, Nazareno Casero
.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
aired in the 1990s on América TV, starring Alfredo Casero
Alfredo Casero
Alfredo Casero is an Argentine musician, actor and comedian.Casero began studying acting with Norman Briski in 1987. Soon after he started working in the underground humour scene of Buenos Aires...
, Fabio Alberti, Diego Capusotto
Diego Capusotto
Diego Esteban Capusotto is an Argentinian TV presenter, actor, and humorist who is noted for his participation in TV shows like Cha Cha Cha, Todo por dos pesos, and Peter Capusotto y sus videos.-Career:...
, and others. It was characterized by absurd humour
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
, sometimes bordering on the surreal
Surreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
.
History
The cycle began in 1992, after the separation of the group of actors that performed the TV comedy show De la cabeza. The show was first known only as Cha Cha Cha; in the last three seasons, a subtitle was added. In 1995 it was Dancing en el Titanic; in 1996 El Estigma del Dr. Vaporeso; and the last season was La parrilla del Xeñor. The last program was aired on August 13, 1997, and was then cancelled because of low ratings.Casero himself announced the cancellation of the show, and described it like this: "It had that half and half... with the guarangadas(crude, uneducated words) that we used to say... We like the refiné stuff, and we also like that funny thing of getting your fingers into mayonnaise to catch an olive." Soon afterwards, in an interview, he stated the reason for the cancellation flatly: "There's no place on television for our show... If I had a TV channel I'd fire the folks of Cha cha cha too."
The sketches
The style of some sketches are similar to Monty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
, making them sometimes difficult to understand. Other were parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
, such as Juan Carlos Batman, where Casero played an Argentine (and fat) version of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, or Siddharta Kiwi, a skinny fakir
Fakir
The fakir or faqir ; ) Derived from faqr is a Muslim Sufi ascetic in Middle East and South Asia. The Faqirs were wandering Dervishes teaching Islam and living on alms....
or guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
performed by Diego Capusotto, who proposed unconventional solutions to everyday problems.
The most controversial sketch was Todos juntos en capilla, which came usually last of every emission. In it, Fabio Alberti played a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
-style priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who told supposedly edifying but ludicrous stories of a martyr saint called Peperino Pómoro. This prompted a reaction of a conservative Catholic association called Fundación Argentina del Mañana, who launched a campaign against the sketch by sending letters to the channel and the commercial sponsors, finally achieving its cancellation.
Legacy
The program did not employ conventional humour and never had a massive public. In fact, it was always complicated because of low ratings. Dancing en el Titanic had to be aired live, to avoid spending extra money in studio, edition, exterior shots, etc. However, Cha Cha Cha managed to gather a fan base (some self-styled Vaporesianos), who after the cancellation of the show found an alternative in the projects on which the members of Cha Cha Cha continued working on, for example: Delicatessen, made in 1998 by Horacio Fontova, Fabio Alberti, Diego Capusotto, José Luis Oliver, Damián Dreizik and Luis Ziembrowski and aired in América TV; the theatre shows of Alfredo Casero, such as Sólo para entendidos; and Todo por dos pesos, a program by Alberti and Capusotto, aired in Canal 7 and Canal 9Canal 9 (Argentina)
Canal 9 is an Argentine television network based in Buenos Aires. It is a general entertainment station which offers news, soap operas, talk shows, and movies.-History:...
, which made these two actors even more popular.
Cast
| Cha Cha Cha (first seasons) |
Dancing en el Titanic |
El estigma del Dr. Vaporeso |
La parrilla del Xeñor |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
There were also many appearances of famous people such as Alejandro Lerner
Alejandro Lerner
Alejandro Federico Lerner is an Argentine musician and singer-songwriter. He has written and sang countless songs including several hits, and his fame and recognition spread all over South America....
, Jorge Lanata
Jorge Lanata
Jorge Lanata is an Argentine journalist and writer, born in Mar del Plata in 1960. He co-founded the daily Argentine newspaper Crítica de la Argentina on March 2, 2008, and was its director until April 4, 2009....
, Enrique Macaya Márquez, Charly Alberti
Charly Alberti
Carlos Alberto Ficicchia Gigliotti , known by his stage name Charly Alberti, is an Argentine rock musician, better recognized as the drummer of the influential argentine rock band Soda Stereo. Because of this, he is considered one of the most important musicians of latin and Spanish rock...
, Diego "Chavo" Fucks, Marcos Zucker
Marcos Zucker
Marcos Zucker was an Argentine actor of Polish-Jewish descent, known for his work on stage, television, and in films, he is best known for his comedic roles and appeared in 66 films.- Biography :...
, and even of Alfredo Casero's son, Nazareno Casero
Nazareno Casero
Nazareno Casero is an Argentine film and television actor. He works in the cinema of Argentina.- Biography :The son of actor Alfredo Casero, Nazareno started acting in 1996 under the direction of Alejandro Agresti, in Buenos Aires Vice Versa. His role earned him a Silver Condor nomination from the...
.