Alejandra Radano is, without a doubt, one of the great references of musical theater in Argentina. She has starred in Chicago, Cabaret, Cats, Beauty and the Beast, and many more, but she attributes it to luck. “You either have the physique du rôle or you don’t,” she says with a humility that doesn’t detract an ounce of talent. As a child, she dreamed of being an opera singer, but everything changed when Pepe Cibrián Campoy chose her to be part of Drácula, over thirty years ago, at the Luna Park. From then on, her world turned.
Today, Radano takes the stage at the Teatro Coliseo from Wednesdays to Sundays to play the ambitious Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray, the musical based on the film by John Waters. In an intimate chat, before the ritual of transformation to get into the skin of the antagonist, the actress talked about everything: the magic of creation, her 20 years of work in Europe, the dizzying pace of the future, and her great personal battle.
“I was very lucky to be in very beautiful musicals. Today is a very special day for me, because it’s Sandra’s birthday (Guida, her co-star in Chicago and great friend), who has passed away. I have her very, very present,” she says emotionally. And she finds a significant detail: in Chicago, Sandra played Velma Kelly, and now she plays Velma Von Tussle. “They have the same name, and that seemed very significant to me.”
Radano never tires of repeating that everything was circumstantial. “Things led me along. I wanted to be an opera singer until the auditions for Drácula came up, and we premiered at the Luna Park. Then came Cats, and the opportunity to work with Hugo Midón and many others.” But she also acknowledges that she directed some desires, like working with specific directors. “For me, the encounter with directors has to do with training. You learn a lot from directors, and from the works as well.”
And speaking of directors, Alfredo Arias was the one who opened the doors of Europe for her. “That was indeed my own doing, because one day I went to see Familia de artistas with Pepe Cibrián, at the Maipo, with Iris Marga, Lía Jelín, Norma Pons, and that’s where the desire to work with Alfredo arose. Ten years passed until I could access him, when I did Chicago, and Ricky Pashkus told me that Alfredo Arias was in the audience.” From there, an epic of almost 20 years of work in France, Spain, Italy, Germany. “I never settled in Europe; rather, things kept happening. And they really keep happening. Now I have my home here, but who knows.”
Radano also referred to her experience working with Damián Betular, who makes his debut in Hairspray. “Betular is a great observation point for me. Company leaders are very important because they set the direction and mood for everyone, as does the director, Fernando Dente. And I learn a lot from his discipline, his neatness.” And she highlights Dente’s vision: “He had the great vision to grasp what Betular can do and what we can all do. I have no prejudice whatsoever about someone coming from another place, without formal training. The stage is very anarchic, often.”
The actress is enthusiastic about the Hairspray cast, in which 80% are making their debut with the show. “All the characters have something interesting, something particular, as if everyone were a protagonist. There isn’t a single person who lacks charisma, charm, or talent. Watching them is an exercise night after night.” And she reflects on the show’s relevance: “This show still works because, unfortunately, the segregation and discrimination it talks about are still happening. But it also talks about inclusion and overcoming.”
Radano also spoke about her resistance to change, although she acknowledges that as an actress who has traveled the world, the common denominator is precisely change. “There are things that cost me a lot and fell into place when I began to accept what reality proposed. Even if that concept is worn out, it’s true.” And she closes with a reflection on art: “Anything you do has an implication on the outside. So, if you know how to govern well what you are meant to govern, that produces an expansive wave in society, and it doesn’t remain just an artistic event.”
Para mí la reina del musical? Por favor, Velma será villana pero Radano es una vendida al sistema teatral comercial. Mientras ella brilla en Hairspray, los laburantes del under nos pudrimos en salas alternativas. Esto huele a elitización del teatro. Yo creo que volviste a Europa, Alejandra, que acá sobran artistas de verdad. Firmado: La Comuna Teatral.
che para mi radano reina del musical? un chiste mal eh se fue 20 años a europa porque aca no la bancaban y ahora vuelve a cobrar en pesos mientras los argentinos de verdad laburan ella se hace la diva igual hay que reconocerle que velma la clava pero basta de aplaudir a los que se rajan al exterior volve a tu casa o labura para la patria mamita