Objects that make up the identity of the legendary comedian Eugenio Jofra are scattered around the Globomedia studio in Madrid. As if they were traces, his characteristic tube glasses appear, the stool with the round table with an ashtray and a glass jug in which he usually mixes vodka with orange. Even from the hallways you can hear that hoarse voice, with a clear emphasis on the L. But the tall, bearded man with a crucifix necklace and matted hair who uses these devices is not Eugenio (1941-2001). It is the impersonator and comedian Raúl Pérez who lends his body and his voice so that an artificial intelligence brings the innovative comedian back to life for the program “Eugenio there is only one”, a tribute that combines recording and live show and will be available from December 30th on Movistar Plus+.
The most difficult scene to record, according to program director Miguel Sánchez, was the “reunion” between Eugenio and his son Gerard, who is committed to keeping his father's legacy alive. Sánchez tries to arrange the process: which of the two has to approach first to give the hug, whether the gait has to be slow for the meeting, whether the impersonator cannot move so much so that there are no mistakes when exchanging faces This is done using deep fake technology… “You see your father again after 22 years,” Sánchez motivates Gerard. What may seem like an awkward moment, 10 days later, is applauded and greeted with an “aw!” the tenderness of the audience in the Coliseum Theater, where the live part of the program took place and six comedians told several of Eugenio's jokes.
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The show's format is reminiscent of a comedy genre of yesteryear, when the comedian would confront the audience with an artillery of prepared jokes, one after another, with less room for improvisation. Short jokes, mostly green, with a clear structure, in which Eugenio was an innovator due to the serious way in which he told them, with measured pauses and a gloomy face. “They work like Swiss watches,” says Ernesto Sevilla, one of the artists chosen to pay homage. “He is part of a generation of joke tellers that is currently mutating into monologue, stand-up, a legacy of Anglo-Saxon humor. “The stand-up comedians, of course, continue to make jokes, but they incorporate them into a speech as if they were telling a story or expressing an opinion,” explains Sevilla, who is not only a comedian but also an actor, with appearances in films like “Christmas in Their Hands” and “Body Rubble.”
Comedian and impersonator Raúl Pérez with a “Deep Fake” of Eugenio Jofra and Gerard Jofra in a scene they recorded together.ElenaGonzalezTorres
And Eugenio had a discipline that did not allow him to mix work with personal opinions. “Unlike today's comedian, who positions himself and leads his own religious, ideological or political discourse, he did not get involved in politics,” explains Sevilla. The particularity with which he approached comedy was expressed in the formality with which he approached the audience from the stage. Dressed in black as if he were at a funeral, he told the jokes seriously and without resorting to grimaces, tricks or theatrics. This strict and aseptic personality is very similar to Seville's style: “His jokes fit me like a glove. He delivered monologues in a very serious manner.”
However, Eugenio's idea was not that the comedians should imitate his style, but rather that they should bring their own peculiarities. “We chose them because each of them has a special style. He needed the variety that comedians with very different backgrounds and each with their own form offer,” explains director Sánchez. The jokes were distributed according to their relevance to each comedian. This is how Eva Soriano pushes herself forward with her gestures and her physicality; Anabel Alonso exudes kindness; Arturo Valls boasts of his usual sobriety; the explosive spark is by Pablo Chiapella; and Joaquín Reyes is committed to “updating the jokes”: he was the only one who exchanged pesetas for euros, he talked about millennials and twerking.
“It is important that the joke is alive, that it is not a mere recreation,” argues Reyes. He agrees that humor changes with generations and can age just as its comedians do: “On the day of the show I had the impression that the jokes still worked. What Eugenio did was create lines of text, and the ending was crucial, that's what makes it valid.” And he concludes: “Eugenio would probably be giving monologues today.”
The actor and comedian Ernesto Sevilla in “Eugenio, there is only one”.ElenaGonzalezTorres
His son Gerard's work aims precisely to close this generational gap that may exist: “Some generations don't know Eugenio. I want them to know what their parents and grandparents laughed at,” says Who is also a comedian and has been performing the show Eugenio by Gerard at Café Llantiol in the heart of the Raval for about six months. The short formats of Reels and Tiktoks in which you can hear their most classic jokes (the one about the crazy people, the granddaughter who arrives from the Canary Islands, the last will of a Spaniard before his death) were another way to get there there for a younger audience.
Another aspect that could be considered anachronistic for these times of political correctness is his idea of the role of man. “As a comedian he is impeccable, but as a role model of masculinity I have my doubts,” says one of Eugenio’s interviewed guests. However, this wasn't one of the points the show intended to address, but rather to celebrate its ingenuity. “Some of the jokes may reflect the social conditions of the time, but he was always respectful, it's a tribute and nothing he wrote should tear his clothes,” says Sánchez.
From left to right: Eva Soriano, Pablo Chiapella, Anabel Alonso, Ernesto Sevilla, Arturo Valls and Gerard Jofra.ElenaGonzalezTorres
The truth is that the popularity of the Catalan comedian, who became a real mass phenomenon in the eighties and nineties, is experiencing an upswing. The film Saben Aquell, directed by David Trueba, has 11 Goya nominations; In 2018, the documentary Eugenio by Jordi Rovira and Xavier Baig was released and before that there were other shows with imitators like Reugenio. Now it's artificial intelligence that brings the legendary comedian to life. Through images, videos and photos, the team of Francisco Fernández and Alejandro Pérez makes a commendable effort to bring it to life, an exercise they have already done with Franco, Fernando Fernán Gómez or Manuel Fraga for El intermedia. The media mutates, but the tubular glass, the stool and the table with the ashtray remain there.
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