Blackface minstrelsy en Buenos Aires: Las actuaciones de Albert Phillips en 1868 y las visitas de los Christy's Minstrels en 1869, 1871 y 1873 (y una discusión sobre su impacto en la cultura local)

Abstract

American blackface minstrels began to perform for local audiences in Buenos Aires between 1868 and 1873, beginning with Albert Phillips and followed by two different companies of Christy's Minstrels. This article describes the performances that they presented—the songs, dances and sketches, melodies and rhythms, instruments, and costumes—and their reception by porteño audiences. It also considers their legacy in local theatrical traditions and considers possible connections between local and translational forms of blackface. It is often assumed that the dozens of carnival ensembles of "fake blacks" that paraded in Buenos Aires after 1865 were inspired by American minstrelsy. This article shows that there is actually no evidence of such influence and proposes that local carnival customs may have found inspiration in other transnational groups such as the Spanish zarzuela companies that visited the city from the mid-19th century onwards.