Commissioned by the Alley Theatre and San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, ?Cantinflas! is a comic tribute to the late Mario Moreno Reyes, the "Charlie Chaplin" of Mexico. One of the greatest comics of his time, Cantinflas performed in over 50 films (including the smash hit Around the World in 80 Days) and engaged audiences with his sharp social satire and hilarious physical antics. Incorporating Spanish and English, this production recaptures the fusion of the comic's clever word play and his classic characterizations of the "everyman" and uses actual interviews that were conducted by Spanish-language press to illustrate the depth and genius of one of Mexico's most charismatic figures.
Originally workshopped at the Alley in the fall of 2001, ?Cantinflas! was written by Herbert Siguenza of the performance comedy troupe Culture Clash, who also appears as the title character.
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