Greetings from Bogotá.
There’s been another long pause since my last Letter, but all for a good reason. The reason? I was waiting for certain things to come to fruition so I could include them. The trouble was that every time we got close, another thing would come into view.
First thing was a commission for Adriano from our vet, Juan Manuel, for some illustrations of animals. Juan Manuel lectures at the university and has written a series of manuals for use in schools in our state, funded by the department of Education. The manuals focus on the animals that most country school kids live with, covering how the animals behave and how to look after them. Adriano agreed to do the illustrations but only if he did them how he wanted to, in his style, without direction or stipulations. The results are superb, delighting Juan Manuel and the educators. They will make a fine exhibition sometime in the future.
Speaking of making an exhibition, I had arrived in Bogotá just after Adriano completed the paintings, when I got a call from my casting agent enquiring after my whereabouts. I sometimes get cast as a non-speaking extra when they need some old codger in the background looking grumpy. She was delighted to discover I was in town and asked if I might be interested in playing Santa in a TV ad for Exito, the Tesco/Myers/Walmart of Colombia, and how long I might be in Bogota.
I thought it sounded like fun and said I would stay there until a decision was made. I did a little video in the apartment talking to the camera, and the following week they cast me.
It turned out to be three ads for national television and online for Exito. They focussed on three aspects of the Colombian Christmas; the Night of the Candles (Las Velitas), the nine prayer and party celebrations that lead up to the 24th (Las Novenas), and Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) when families get together to eat and exchange presents.
The premise was that I was James McLean from Santa Claus, Indiana, which houses the Certification Centre for shopping centre Santas. Exito invites me to Colombia to find out what makes the Navidad Colombiana so special.
Filming took two days, starting at 1pm each day and finishing at 6am the following morning. It was good fun, and it seems I was good at it, and that’s not me saying so. Everyone loved me, the directors and producer, the client (Exito), the agency and the crew.
When the hours were long I kept them smiling, I did little phone videos for my fellow actors’ kids and grandkids, women all fancied me, strangers stopped and stared, lots of boys fancied me too, and everyone wanted to be photographed with me, well, with Santa. The beard did all the work.
Seriously, they treated me like a star, always two people with me fixing the beard, always a chair whenever they were a few minutes (or hours) between shots, and they were always surprised that the star was so nice. Hahaha. I can only imagine that stars are usually (&%#@)s.
The director liked to have many different options so I would improvise which he loved but which would then inspire a new twist and generate the need for more takes. Funny, I really did feel good and powerful. I can see why stars lose the plot.
During the filming, the thing that worried the crew was they kept trying to give me food and drinks … coffee, water, tea, juice etc., and I declined. I explained that I never eat before performing, and Santa’s suit did not have a zipper. I suggested, however, that if they had some Talisker whisky and ice I might change my mind. Even more hilarity.
Santa’s suit also had no pockets so the very cute soundman, Carlos, had to put the radio mic control in my underpants, and had his hand down my trousers a lot. He apologised profusely but I said that there was no need as long as he smiled as he did it.
The beard is the real star. And it took a lot of development.
To start, on the Friday, wardrobe day, it was stupid. I looked like a supermarket Santa, hiding behind a white fence. The director and I wanted my mouth to be visible so that I could make expressions. Hence the second go, which they did at our apartment on Saturday.
The biggest challenge was that the director wanted Spanish with a foreign accent. I found that very difficult… Perhaps I was too successful; the finished product has subtitles as well … Spanish subtitles.
I got back to Mykanos in time for the Night of the Candles, which was a very low-key event, unlike in previous years. We invited nobody and didn’t do elaborate illuminated decorations. This was also true for Christmas. We just shared it ourselves and Adriano did not have to take all the decorations down by 12th Night, always something he does not enjoy.
What was different is that we had a Christmas lunch for our workers on the 23rd; the first in three years.
We prepared and presented 80 anchettas (goodie bags) and fed those 80 workers, and quite a few of their family members, with estofado (stew) of beef, pork and chicken, and natilla, the traditional Christmas dessert, washed down with refajo (shandy), rum and aguardiente. There was music, some dancing and a serious session of musical chairs, with cash prizes for the victors. A good time was had by all, and it was a pleasing return to some sort of normality.
The cosecha wound down, the sun came out and the year got off to a good start.
Motivated by the enjoyment that doing the animal paintings engendered, Adriano expanded his studio. In fact he continues the expansion, which means we will need new quarters for our Man Friday.
And motivated by the better weather and the pleasure we get from Adriano having wonderful ingredients with which to work his magic in the kitchen, we have created new huertas (vegetable gardens) and are already enjoying lettuce, arugula, coriander, radishes, tomatoes, beans and kale … all free of sprays and additives and fresh from the garden.
The vegetables came online just in time for a visit by Hugh Thomson and Jocasta Shakespeare from London. Hugh, a travel writer of renown, visited us in 2018 following a visit to Cali to do a piece for the FT about salsa, but this was Jocasta’s first time in coffee country. Jocasta is an artist and she and Adriano spent much time expounding theory, techniques and inspiration.
And speaking of techniques and inspiration, at Hugh’s suggestion, Adriano also did a master class on Ceviche Peruana.
Great food, great excursions and great conversation … a particularly nice way to spend the week.
Love from him and me
Barry
