By Paula Bistagnino. He doesn't want to look like a woman. He's a man and a showgirl. Alongside Franco Torchia, he stars in the first LGBTQ+ revue, " Like Never Before ." Juan Pablo Mirabelli is the first male showgirl in the first LGBTQ+ revue, and that's what he's bringing to the stage with a show he began imagining and creating, inspired by videos of the Spanish artist Lina Morgan and his personal desire, since childhood when he started acting, to "be a showgirl" someday. At 35, Juan Pablo Mirabelli has a long career on stage, since he started at 19. He's worked on several television series— Los Roldán , El tiempo no para , Un año para recordar , Vecinos en guerra, and this year in Fanny la fan —and in between, he's toured the world. Until he returned with this idea, which finally took shape when he met Franco Torchia: “He invited me to his radio program No se puede vivir del amor , to the 'Tuesdays of trash faggots', and when I started looking for a leading comedian, a central counter-figure to the showgirl, I had no doubt that it was him.”

-What is an “LGBTQ Magazine” like?                                                          

-With a fucking showgirl! There has always been the figure of the female showgirl or a trans woman or drag queen, but I am none of that. I'm a man, and I'm not trying to be a woman. And while that might shock the audience, it's also what draws them in: if they wanted to see a showgirl with breasts, they'd go somewhere else. It's also about mixing the lighter side of the show with some stronger content. It's not like I think I'm a showgirl, either. I'm an actor and I work as a showgirl. And beyond fulfilling a personal desire, because I always wanted to "be a star," I am acting.

-How is gender problematized?

"I don't know if there was any conscious effort behind it. But I think I'm breaking down stereotypes in some way. The other day I was on a TV show where they tried to get me to argue with Adriana Aguirre, who was saying that 'there's no such thing as a male showgirl.' And I told her that there is, because I am one. What I mean is that I'm not what you think I could be. And I'm a male showgirl because I do what a showgirl does, but with my own body hair and testicles, without needing breast implants or a blonde wig. What's being challenged are the categories. Bodies are idealized, and it's about taking the male gender out of its place and putting it in a feathered position."

-Why did you choose Franco Torchia as the lead comedian in the play?

"For me, the important thing about what we were doing was knowing that when we went on stage, we wouldn't feel embarrassed. And what I saw in Franco is that, besides being such an incredibly cultured person, he has the certainty of knowing the precise and right word at the exact moment. And that gave me a lot of confidence, because I don't have it. And his ideological stance, which interests me a lot. Because when I conceived of a revue, which is a lighthearted genre, I also thought that I wanted it to have something to say. He, and Liliana Viola—the author of the texts—who is dazzling and, on top of that, is a queer woman, because even the way she speaks is queer. And I loved her from the first minute, and she wrote some marvelous texts. And also the director, Dino Balanzino, who is a genius. And many more friends, all very talented."

–What is the place of LGBTQ+ issues in the mainstream media?

–A stereotypical role, always relegated to the sidelines. I recently got a call to play someone's gay secretary. And it's always a guy who's into fashion, makeup, delicate... Can't they create a gay character who doesn't give a damn about fashion and aesthetics? Who likes biology or chemistry and whose passion is being locked away in a lab doing research? And who comes out of there and goes to play video games with his friends. That's what's missing: real, non-stereotypical representations of gay men.

-Do you think that's a long way off?

-Yes, I feel like there's still a long way to go. Television is a real anachronism in this respect. It's not like they're opening up and are a decade behind. No. It's like they're stuck in the '80s, while the world outside has moved on. There isn't a single series with a gay couple as the main characters. And that's crazy. Because on top of everything, this is happening while many producers, writers, and directors are gay! It's quite disheartening. “Like never before. The magazine”: Fridays and Saturdays in February at 10 pm at Work Bar, Gurruchaga 1832.]]>