'Polònia' comes to life in a historic gala to celebrate its twentieth anniversary

BarcelonaAt the Teatre Victòria this Monday, the magic wasn't provided by Mago Pop, but PolandThe hall was packed for the gala celebrating the twentieth anniversary of this program, the backbone of TV3's schedule. In Catalonia, on Thursdays, paella is served in bars, and on television, the Poland...if football doesn't ruin it. There's a palpable tension in the team, because the show about to begin will be recorded and become the episode that viewers have seen this week. The technical challenge is enormous, and furthermore, while this political satire program has usually demonstrated quick reflexes when current events have demanded it, today they've had to shake up the entire lineup due to two particularly painful absences: Pep Plaza had to leave a few hours ago to attend to a serious family matter, and Judit Martín has a debilitating case of the flu.

On the red carpet, the Minoria Absoluta team welcomes celebrities, politicians, and friends. Toni Soler ends up at the center of most of the photographs, as the creator of the format. When I interviewed him weeks ago, he spoke to me about the personal crisis he's experiencing with humor and the existential doubts that gnaw at him about whether parody exposes the powerful or actually consolidates them, once the people have had their say. But today she appears genuinely happy, not at all contrived, with an almost childlike glow. However, when I point out to everyone who's here, she immediately exclaims, "You see, we're establishment!"

Among those arriving is Sílvia Orriols, whose attendance was uncertain. Her caricature is anything but flattering, but the mayor of mayors dominates the scene, and where others say they don't quite see themselves in their impersonations, she takes the opportunity to celebrate that no political isolation has been imposed on her. Inside the theater, lively, diverse conversations are common, such as that between former councilor Anna Simó and the euphoric music producer Jordi Cubino, who are laughing heartily.

The 90-minute show is a resounding success. It's not just a filmed episode; there's much more ambition behind it. Soler was reluctant to hold a gala, given its self-indulgent nature, but fortunately, he was convinced. And, to avoid the danger of taking credit for himself king size As if they were the magician Andreu, alongside the celebration of the most memorable gags and the imitations that have made history, there were also moments of self-criticism. This was the case with one of the surprises of the night: Els Amics de les Arts performed a humorous song in which they recalled techniques the program used in its early days and later on, techniques that political correctness has gradually replaced, such as painting actors to play Black characters—now actors who are naturally Black are hired—, having men play women, or certain moments of body shaming which would now be outlawed.

The Corporation itself was not spared from critical review, and the Ricard Ustrell impersonator from the program came down from the stage to the audience and, upon encountering Councilor Albert Dalmau, before handing him the microphone, quipped: "What a coincidence that the first person I meet is a socialist!", ironically commenting on the political leanings of the presenter of the Catalunya Ràdio morning magazine show. The impersonator was not present –it is unknown if he had any other paintings to hang – but his rival Jordi Basté was in attendance. The RAC1 presenter left halfway through the gala, presumably to get some sleep before the program, but not before participating live in one of the skits.

From the private broadcaster's stable, the Óscars, Dalmau and Andreu, also joined the festivities. The competitionto reminisce about their time as writers for the show. For one night, there was a sort of Polish truce between the Corporation and the Godó group's radio station, after recent tensions. Those feeling nostalgic were happy to see Bruno Oro once again mercilessly embody his Ángel Acebes, who is still convinced that "it was ETA," and Carlos Latre had three golden minutes with a Josep Lluís Núñez who fainted when he speculated about running again for the presidency of Barça and discovered how much the joke would cost these days. Other highlights included the staged interplay between Queco Novell and four of his impersonated presidents: Pasqual Maragall, Carles Puigdemont, Salvador Illa, and Mariano Rajoy. The interaction felt very natural, and it was hard to tell that it was video footage, which required two days of filming to synchronize the dialogue and reactions of the four characters and their real-life creator.

The party ended with the real Artur Mas taking the stage and saying, "Aren't you missing anything?" as he put on sunglasses and the first bars of "More style"She didn't dare to dance while that song was playing."Sexy lady"alongside Duran i Lleida, but it was a finale that set the bar very high and left us wanting to see if everything that had happened in the room was well transferred to the screen, and that was nothing less than the conjuring of the tribal feeling of this poor, dirty, sad, unfortunate homeland: laughing at the dead man and those who watch over him, at the funding that never arrives and at a commuter rail system that, twenty years later, still does not work.