El Condominio
| El Condominio | |
|---|---|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Starring | Sunshine Logroño Efraín López Neris René Monclóva Marian Pabón Cristina Soler |
| Country of origin | Puerto Rico |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | WAPA-TV |
 |
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El Condominio was a Puerto Rican television show produced by Sunshine Logrono for Televicentro Puerto Rico.
[edit] Production details
El Condominio came to be as a result of a Tony Mojena produced show, Los Apartamentos, which first appeared on Puerto Rican television on Telemundo Puerto Rico in 1993. In 1994, Los Apartamentos was cancelled, and Logroño signed up the show's actors to produce El Condominio for what was then called WAPA-TV. The program's show and basic synopsis remained intact.
The show became an instant hit in Puerto Rican television, often appearing among the most seen shows in Puerto Rico on the Nielsen list of television show ratings.
The show was set on an apartment building (condominium) called "Monte Brisas". The set included a lobby with the door to the manager's office on the back, and an elevator to the right.
In 2004, controversy arose when Mojena declared that he wanted the show suspended or for Logroño to pay him royalties, alleguing, in a lawsuit, that he stole his creation by implanting the original actors and characters used on Los Apartamentos to El Condominio. A court ruling ordered Logroño to continue on producing the show without paying Mojena royalties until the case is further reviewed. A court decision was expected by June or July 2005.
The controversy was spread on Puerto Rican media, and the show's actors united at Logroño's side, defending their show as a workshop for Puerto Rican actors. Among the show's most vocal defenders were two of its main stars, René Monclóva and Marian Pabón.
On May, 2005, the Puerto Rican court finally reached a verdict, deciding that the show could no longer go on. On June 1, the show's last episode was transmitted.
In mid June, the gossip TV show Super Xclusivo reported that the show's actors filed a legal motion to allow the actors to portray their character counterparts from El Condominio. Most of the characters then appeared in another show called Por el Casco de San Juan.
[edit] Synopsis
"El Condominio" was owned by a lonely man in his forties. He apparently was a virgin, and had bad luck with women. He inherited the property from his mother (sometimes played by Logrono), an elderly woman who raised her son to be what is known in American slang as a "momma's boy".
Because he had such bad luck with women, the owner befriended his employee "Lolo Bond" (played by Monclova), an alcoholic handyman who had much better luck with women. "Lolo" sometimes felt that his boss may be homosexual without his own knowledge, so he tried to arrange dates for him, and, combined with the owner's virginal behaviour and "Lolo"s suspicions, this often lead to comical situations.
"Lolo"s girlfriend was a widow whose husband only left her debts and an unemployed gay son, León (played by Logroño). His best friend was a Puerto Rican-American hustler Brenda Q (played by Marian Pabón) who lived on the revenues made by a naïve, big busted exotic dancer.
Other characters include a biased plastic surgeon with a nasty attitude, Argüelles; an ignorant security guard prone to gluttony, Vázquez; a Born-Again Christian old lady who owned dozens of stray dogs, Doña Soto, and a whole family on Welfare.
Most of the comical situations that happened in the show revolved around these characters, with some actors making occasional special appearances to contribute to the show's stories.
[edit] Cast
Here is a partial list of some of the show's cast members:
- Sunshine Logrono as "Elpidio", a mentally retarded man/boy; as "Pachango", a nasty and smelly old man with a hernia, and as León.
- Efraín López Neris as "Vázquez", the security guard
- René Monclova as "Lolo Bond", the alcoholic handyman
- Marian Pabón as "Brenda Q"
- Jorge Castro as "Segismundo Alberto", the building's administrator
- Albert Rodríguez as "Dr. Sebastián Argüelles"
- Cristina Soler as "Doña Laura Alvarez Viuda de Gumbia", Lolo's Lover
- Suzette Bacó as "Doña Soto", Owner of over a dozen dogs
