Nerves, anxiety, fear, insecurity, excitement, joy. This is how the preview is experienced, in the lobby of the SHA theater, in Once. Because today 150 young people are taking a chance: they will do a live test to be part of the cast of the The Hunchback of Paris musical that will return to Luna Park after 30 years, led by Pepe Cibrián Campoy and Ángel Mahler.
While waiting, applicants kill time as best they can. Some chat among themselves; Others walk, and most of them have their eyes fixed on their cell phones..
Among them is the girl with red hair, on crutches because she went bankrupt the foot days before the audition.
Furthermore, the man from Santa Fe who sings in a heavy metal band and is musical fan. And the 15-year-old boy who is willing to drop out of high school if he is elected.
It unites everyone the same passion and the dream of making a name for himself in show business.
On the other hand, Cibrián Campoy, Mahler and their collaborators finalize the details before starting the casting.
There is a table with four chairs in front of the stage. On it: a computer, applicants’ files and some tupperware with fruits, snacks and bottles of water. They know that the day will be long and demanding.
From the moment they enter the test you realize it. The body speaks.
Pepe will stage the musical with a completely renewed cast. And that’s why it’s looking for fifty new faces in an open call.
“I always experience these tests with a lot of nerve. Now, thanks to the Internet, one knows that many people have signed up; It was not known before. 3,000 people signed up for this casting. We ask for actors to sing or singers to act. Obviously, they have to know how to move their body, but there will be very simple choreographies,” she says.
He is seasoned in the trade: he has had a career and castings for 60 years. He boasts of having developed a sixth sense when it comes time to set your eye.
“From the moment they enter the test you realize everything. I can evaluate in three, five or ten minutes. The body speaks. What I don’t realize is whether they have good or bad temper. Although with the passing of the passes, they bring out their personality and behavior with their companions. The important thing is that the applicant has good vibes, good competence and does not screw with the other person. It is understood that everyone wants to go out to win, but not to win at any cost. Just as attitude also matters: arrive an hour early, know the lyrics and have good milk, as I said,” Pepe remarks.
Pepe gets up and starts rummaging through his backpack. He takes out a spray, sprays it on her hair and then a small perfume, which he puts on his neck. He looks at his collaborators, stretches out his hand and says: “Shit, shit.” It is the way to say luck in the artistic environment.
¡Show time!
It is three thirty in the afternoon and the participants enter the room. They ask them to go on stage and sit on the floor, with their backs to the seats. Cibrián Campoy, Mahler and team stand in front of them. Pepe takes the time to explain to them what his way of working is. “The test is something hard, very difficult, because one gets naked in front of the other. They expose themselves a lot,” he explains.
It also sets them up for frustration.: “I don’t want you to feel humiliated, please. If they feel bad or there is something they don’t understand, they have to bring it up. Each one will face their own mirror. I am incapable of telling someone: ‘You are no good’. In any case it will be: ‘You are no good for this project.’ Norma Aleandro was told that she was no good and look what she became. No one is capable of saying that the other does not have talent.”
They say I’m difficult. It is not like this. As long as you arrive an hour early and know the words, everything is fine.
Then he alludes to his figure and fame as a director: “They say I’m very difficult. It is not like this. As long as you arrive an hour before rehearsal and know the lyrics, everything is fine. Because I arrive two hours early. And if you have that desire, that desire to be part of it, be sure to play, but don’t get angry.. There’s no point in getting angry. Because then this audition is of no use to you.”
There is no slogan or script. The group divides into two. One half stays with Pepe on stage, for the physical part; and the other goes with Mahler, for the musical. They will work in a room on the first floor.
Those who stay warm up their bodies under the command of Claudia Duce and Alejandra Fontán, those in charge of training and choreography. They start with arm movementships, stretching and breathing exercises.
After about ten minutes, the test with Pepe begins. They have to move, gesture, act, free movements with different rhythms.
Sounds one playlist training session with a continuous medley of different topics: Maria (Michael McDonald), Beethoven’s 5 Secrets (The Piano Guys), Show me how you burlesque (Christina Aguilera) and Believer (Imagine Dragons), among others.
The music, suddenly, is crossed by recorded catchphrases from Pepe, Moria Casán and even a bank notice. ““Creativity, body movement and improvisation are important here”explains Cibrián Campoy.
In the other room, Mahler is in charge of the choral work. He plays a part of the song on the piano Flyof The Hunchback… The candidates come to the stage in sevens and sing together in groups.
Applicants go from waiting to action, which helps reduce anxiety. Jésica de Luca is 32 years old and draws attention for her crutches. Three weeks before the audition she stepped wrong on a step and fell. went bankrupt the fifth metatarsal: “I was super distressed. I said, ‘I can’t do anything. I’m missing it.’ But Pepe told me: ‘No, my love, you are going to come, you will stay sitting next to me. You’re going to audition.’ So if everything goes well, next month I will be able to do the dance part.”
I haven’t had an audition this important in years. Being able to be close to Pepe is unmatched!
“Last year,” he continues, “I took a workshop with Pepe in Escobar, where we did The Hunchback of Paris. It was spectacular. Then I found out about this audition for Luna Park and I went crazy. My dream? I have loved musical comedy since I was 10 years old, since Dracula. I am a fan of Pepe and Ángel. For me, it is already a dream to be able to be here and for them to hear us, see us. Giving new talents a chance is priceless. A unique opportunity. So we are going to give it our all.”
Felipe Alonso is 15 years old and is a bundle of nerves. He woke up early to go to school, the Montessori of Luján, and then came for the audition even though it is for those over 18.
“Pepe told me that I could do it, but that it wasn’t going to work. But I chatted with one of his assistants and he gave me hope. I’m playing it. I did The Hunchback…in Escobar and we had a wonderful time. Since I was five years old I like to dance. My dream? I want to be an actor and dancer. If I were to stay, I would leave school for this. My parents support me. As long as I end up taking the exams in some way,” explains Felipe, with enthusiasm.
Rafael Fernández is 36 years old, lives in the province of Santa Fe and is a singer of heavy metal. He seems confident.
“This morning, I grabbed the car, looked for my mother and came to the audition. I have been following Pepe and Mahler for several years. They are pure culture! I fell in love with the musical Dracula. As soon as I found out about these auditions, I signed up, because I’m a singer. I also studied film and theater. In my band, we put on a bit of a show,” she says.
Rafael has a permanent job: “I am the head of a branch of Correo Argentino. I have been working there, in the office, for 18 years. Anyway, I came to try. I like the experience and, furthermore, I think it adds to the resume. My dream is to act and sing and continue projecting with my band. I don’t know if I would leave everything, but a debut at Luna is a dream.”
Nardia Belandia is Colombian. Short, red hair, very histrionic. It attracts attention during the acting test. She is 55 years old and is an actress. He has lived in Argentina since 2010. “I came to spend a vacation in Buenos Aires and I stayed forever. I fell in love. The people are beautiful. “I live here with my mother and my son,” she explains.
“It has been many years since I had an audition this important. Being able to be next to a figure as great as Pepe is unmatched.and. It has such beautiful energy! She had a lot of nerves and shit. But on stage, when it was my turn to pass, I felt calm. I hope I have luck,” concludes Nardia.
Brisa Polanco is from Córdoba and this year she came to Buenos Aires because she won a scholarship at the Julio Bocca Foundation. “I met Pepe in Córdoba and he awakened something in me. I did Dorothy with him and since then I say: ‘I want more.’ So here I am. Nervous but ready to sing in front of Mahler,” she confides.
A process that continues
The die is cast. Some left. Those chosen auditioned daily and the final cast was formed. After a break for the holidays, They will resume the tests on January 16 in another stage: the selection of the characters. “Here they will compete among themselves for different roles. The good thing is that they will already be part of the cast,” explains Pepe.
The revival of The Hunchback of Paris It is scheduled for April 10 at Luna Park. The production is by Mahler and Daniel Macon. It will have 50 artists on stage and 30 live musicians. Then they will tour the interior of the country for 6 or 7 months, with half of the cast, and perhaps later put it on again in Luna Park.
“I am very excited about this project. All my life I have done musicals with young people. Many have been beginners with me: Elena Roger, Georgina Barbarrosa, Patricia Etchegoyen, Cecilia Milone, Paola Krum, Juan Rodó and Ana Acosta,” says Pepe.
And he closes with two concepts for dreamers: “The important thing, then, It is having discipline, punctuality, being a good person, happy, fun and accepting criticism from a live audience.r”.
The advice of the stirrup is a call to perseverance: “Knock on doors, study, prepare, you can if you feel like it. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Be you, always.”