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

artists are in a coffee shop discussing their options and how to prevent the cabaret from
being closed. They discuss the abuse of the authorities, how their families will be
affected by the closure, and how the outlook is not promising. This could put the
audience in a low mood, but the sadness is interrupted after the owner of Tívoli,
Quijano, spills sugar in his coffee, because Tiliches set him up. The surprise for
Quijano, who did not expect the joke, and the fact that the boss has been humiliated in
front of his workers (part of the theory of superiority discussed in previous chapters)
brings enjoyment to the audience, dulling their previous concerns and reminding them
that this is a comedy.
Another example occurs when Tívoli’s owner hires a lawyer to help him with
the cabaret’s demolition. The lawyer, the Licenciado Pantoja, organises a meeting with
the neighbours who will lose their houses with the extension of Reforma Avenue. The
neighbours dress in humble clothes, and one of them, an old lady, describes how she
was pushed by two men to sell her house to the municipal authorities. Another
neighbour, a blind man, describes that he was pushed as well. The lawyer asks:
Licenciado Pantoja: ¿Y cómo eran estos señores?
Blindman: ¡Sepa!
185
Pantoja: (in a derogatory manner) No le estoy hablando a usted,
compañero, le estoy hablando a la señora. 82
The exploitation that the residents are suffering is interrupted by this inappropriate and
absurd scene, since the blind man would not have been able to see the men for obvious
reasons. But the blind man’s unexpected answer triggers the comedy and eases the
abuse of authority of which they are victims. And it is this abuse of power that I will
discuss next.
82 Isaac, Tívoli, 1974.