This 1970’s Off-Broadway hit comedy is a musical review that is muy ridiculo y histerico, somewhat in the manner of Monty Python, with a great deal of the fun and physical comedy. A classic of fractured Spanish and splintered tomfoolery – a knowledge of the language – or of any language – is not necessary for one to enjoy this show directed by Danny Eaton.
El Grande De Coca Cola features Don Pepe Hernandez, el compere extraordinario, a charmer, but with a dubious reputation as a schemer and third-rate impresario. Never-the-less, he has managed to persuade his Uncle, the manager of the local Coca Cola bottling plant, to advance him enough money to rent a nightclub in a run-down section of his hometown of Truillo, Honduras. His plan is for a month-long production of Parada de Estrellas (the Parade of Stars) and boasts that he will bring in a group of international Cabaret stars – Jorge y Consuela, the Argentinian tango champions; Mr. Blind Joe Jackson, the famous Delta blues musician; the Italian gigolos, Giuseppe and Giovannni; and from the National Theatre of France, a drama set in the studio of Toulouse-Lautrec. There are even a few knock-knock jokes, some trick shooting, and an Oscar presentation thrown in for good measure. As for the “stars” – they of course turn out to be Don Pepe’s nephew Miguel, his cousin Juan, his step-daughter Consuela, and his daughter Maria!