''Minga y Petraca'' (later known as ''Minga y Tomasa'') was a television show produced in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

by Antonio "El Gangster" Sanchez since 1992 up until early 2005 on Telemundo Puerto Rico, channel 2. Sanchez and actor Johnny Ray Rodríguez played ''Minga'' and ''Petraca'' (respectively), two middle aged, mustached "ladies" who dedicate themselves to reading such magazines as '' Vea'', '' Teve Guia'' and other popular Puerto Rican

gossip magazine A gossip magazine, also referred to as a tabloid magazine, is a magazine that features scandalous stories about the personal lives of celebrities and other well-known individuals. In North America, this genre of magazine flourished in the 1950s an ...

s. They commented on the stories published, making fun of the articles. After reading magazine articles, they would get into comedic situations with their friends, husbands and families. Their husbands have never actually been shown on the show, only their voices are heard. Minga and Petraca are from the Santurce area of San Juan. ''Minga y Petraca'' reached such popularity in Puerto Rico that there was even a CD released with the two characters as main stars. The song ''Estoy Escriquillá!!'' (loosely translated into ''I'm tired'') was a big hit during

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of 1993 on Puerto Rico's radio. Ray moved to the

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and with that, he took his character of ''Petraca''. Sanchez decided that "the show must go on", and changed the show's name to ''Minga y Tomasa''. He hired a new actor, Alex Soto, to play ''Mingas new friend, ''Tomasa''. Ray flies to Puerto Rico on and off to tape shows, and his character ''Petraca'' is now a visitor from the United States to ''Minga''. In March 2005, the show was cancelled because Telemundo wanted to open a new telenovela spot at 9:00 p.m., so axed all sitcoms and programs in that time slot, only leaving Sanchez's No Te Duermas, as a daily show. In January 2008, the Minga character got new life as part of a weekly segment on ''Minga's Tokchou (Minga's Talk Show in Spanglish).'' In her segment, male guests dress as females while female guests dress as males. On February 27, 2011, a Minga y Petraca reunion show aired on Telemundo Puerto Rico.

References

Puerto Rican television series Television shows set in Puerto Rico 1990s Puerto Rican television series 2000s Puerto Rican television series {{US-nonfiction-tv-prog-stub

See also

References