Leticia Neria PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText ...

con hechos y personas de la vida real será casual naturalmente’, 50 the word
‘naturalmente’ invites us to think about the irony. Furthermore, the story is of the
nightclub Tívoli which indeed existed and was closed in 1959 due to the extension of
one of the main avenues in Mexico City, Reforma, so, the similarity between reality and
the film is clear. 51
In the film, the performers from Tívoli, led by its star Tiliches (Alfonso Arau)
fight the arbitrary closure and demolition of their theatre. At first, they visit the
authorities and work through bureaucratic channels. When they fail and lose one of their
cabaret stars who is seduced by the money of the engineer in charge of the project, they
try to organise a demonstration in the main plaza, El Zócalo, claiming violation of their
civil rights. After failing again, they decide to give up and continue performing until the
closure. In an abuse of authority, the artists are kidnapped by El Hombre, apparently the
Mexican President – and pushed to perform at a private party where the authorities,
including the regent of the city, are present. The sketch they perform is mostly political,
but it pleases El Hombre and he even laughs at it. But nothing will change the
authorities’ decision. The Regent carries on with his plans to demolish Tívoli. There is
an obvious double standard, since he insists that is a place of vice and depravity, while
visiting prostitutes. The Tívoli has no future and the artists decide to organise a final
show, full of semi-naked women, puns, and many political jokes critical of the
government.
Alberto Isaac himself designed the posters that advertised the film, including
captions indicating that the film was irreverent and contained political jokes, with
illustrations of caricatured policemen and semi-naked girls. 52 The film was not well-
50 Tívoli, dir. by Alberto Isaac (Conacine-Dasa Films, 1974) [On DVD]
51 The story of the real theater Tívoli can be consulted in Armando Jiménez, Sitios de rompe y rasga en la
Ciudad de México. Salones de baile, cabarets, billares, teatros (Mexico: Océano, 1998), pp. 240-245.
52 Some of the posters are reproduced in García Riera, Historia documental… 17: 1974-1976, p. 64.
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