Today the shows are not interesting and only some transvestites strive to make themselves a good reputation. Voice dubbing remains the hard core, but very few impersonators do a decent job with their own voices. And it prevails a total ignorance of what happens in other parts of the world. In that sense Cubans have not evolved; on the contrary and as the revolution itself, we have turned so static and lost the ability to reinvent ourselves as artists, which is actually what a professional must feel and want to be: a true creator of art. It is not enough to get a pair of heels and a glamorous dress to take the stage banging themselves in the chest. Art should not become mere entertainment, but a display of talent, and most of the transvestites do not have talent, but only courage to stand in front of an audience, get a little hysterical and dub a song from the times of Columbus discovering America. I have not attended a show since a year ago. I got bored of the same, and I feel that the public is given more of a circus than a quality performance. However, it recently surprised me that the popular and informal weekly package of TV shows included the first chapters of a Chilean production: The Switch, a competitive reality show of impersonations that somehow serves even to change the perception of the viewers who reject this kind of creative art.
The program opens their minds and manages to make them understand that behind every one of the impersonators stands a human being who feels and, above all, needs to be understood and accepted with all his or her differences. The impersonators imitate artists, perform short plays, recreate movie scenes … They should know how to do their own makeup, choose their costumes, sing with their own voice and improve their attitudes in the course of the show. As always, there are rivalries, poison, criticism of the less graceful or more frivolous, but all in all The Switch is a funny program that entertains and makes me realize how badly we do impersonations in Cuba. Our impersonations have many shortcomings, but there is no obstacle for giving everything on stage and do what you really should do in order to be respected. Because not everyone has the gift of being a qualified artist, but many people are confused and also confuse others while giving shows that the public does not deserve. Ultimately impersonators work for their audience.
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