Wilfredo is a fictional comedy character portrayed by the British comedian

Matt Roper Matt Roper is a British comedian, writer and musician. Career Roper made his comedy debut in London during the late-1990s and is noted for his early work in sketch comedy at the Jermyn Street Theatre and in the satirical sketch show ''Newsrevue ...

. The character is an obnoxious, deluded and uncouth

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

of a romantic singer characterized in a

commedia dell'arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...

style. Wilfredo has acquired a

cult status A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

,Brighton Fringe Interview - Matt Roper, Komedia
The New Current, retrieved 8 January 2012 particularly among

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

audiences and on the alternative cabaret and comedy circuit in London. Roper has toured the character internationally, performing in Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, South Africa, Australia and Argentina.

Character origins and appearance

Physically, the character of Wilfredo is a

grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

ian appearance: trousers pulled up to the top of a corpulent stomach, a tight flamenco shirt, a wild black mop wig and a set of prominent prosthetic teeth. Typically, the character will always hold a pint of beer on stage, even whilst dancing and singing. He smokes his way throughout songs, salivating over the audience and musicians while berating them with rich expletives. Critics have described the character as "a wonderful and vile creation",Broadway Baby Editor Review - Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Broadway Baby, retrieved 8 January 2012 "strangely endearing",Wilfredo: Erecto! Review - Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Chortle.com, retrieved 8 January 2012 "joyful and grin-inducing",STV - Shows We're Lovin' by Michael MacLennan
STV: Wilfredo's Erecto hits unexpected high points, retrieved 8 January 2012 and "utterly charming and uplifting".ED2011 Wilfredo: Erecto! Review - Three Weeks
Three Weeks, retrieved 8 January 2012 The character began his life onstage performing cover versions of songs by

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz. A membe ...

and the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

. In an interview with the student media, Roper stated: "My father was a trad comic so I grew up around a lot of the old school; people like

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

and lots of

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

acts. I’d be taken to theatres and all these smoky clubs where there was always a mad speciality artist or a singer in a spangly outfit or a dinner suit onstage, crooning covers. Wilfredo comes from that world for sure." Elsewhere in the same interview, Roper said he hoped Wilfredo "offers escape". Roper has constructed an entire life history and family background to Wilfredo and updates audiences through his performance. The character hails from

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

in Spain, the fourth son of a fourth son, a gifted

child prodigy A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...

who evolved into a national singing star. The character is always accompanied by a guitarist onstage, often by Katie Pollak in the role of Mana Maria, the younger sister of Wilfredo. The character of Maria wears identical teeth and hair, although pop socked and

bespectacled Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples or ...

. She is the polar opposite of Wilfredo: where Wilfredo is brash and loud, Maria in contrast is totally

mute Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak. Mute or the Mute may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart * ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...

and performed in a subtle style. On occasion (as at the 2011 Edinburgh Festival) Kris Howe may accompany – also in character – as Wilfredo's 'Uncle' Ignacio. Wilfredo's life story is juxtaposed with real life historical events into which Wilfredo is fictionally placed: an appearance at the Benidorm International Song Contest Festival for example is claimed,Exclusive Interview - Christmas Wilfredo and Other Beautiful Creatures, London
''The New Current'', retrieved 8 January 2012 as is a friendship and a near collaboration with

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...

. Throughout his performances Wilfredo introduces songs from a fictional back catalogue of bestselling albums, with titles ranging from El Chico En El Toro (the Boy on the Bull) to Solo Para Las Damas (Only for the Ladies).Youtube.com - Wilfredo in performance at the Komedia for the Brighton Festival Fringe
YouTube: Wilfredo in performance at the Komedia for the Brighton Festival Fringe, retrieved 9 January 2012 The boorish and outlandish Wilfredo is

delusional A delusion is a false fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some o ...

, believing himself to be the apotheosis of masculinity and all that is attractive to women. This arrogance is counterbalanced by a charm which in turn endears him to audiences. The origin of the name lies in Latin America, meaning 'to desire peace'.

Early career

Roper first performed the character in 2008 at a benefit in

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-so ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

before performing at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

weeks later.Comedycv - Matt Roper
Comedycv.com, retrieved 8 January 12 In August he performed at the Maker Sunshine Festival in Cornwall with a full band, before guesting with

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

-based

gypsy jazz Gypsy jazz (also known as gypsy swing, jazz manouche or hot club-style jazz) is a style of small-group jazz originating from the Romani guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt (1910–53), in conjunction with the French swing violinist Stéphane Gr ...

combo Gadjo. The character made his London debut at

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

's Lockstock Festival in November 2008, performing a cover of the Amy Winehouse song Rehab.Wilfredo sings Rehab at Lockstock Festival - Youtube.com
YouTube, retrieved 8 January 2012 Encouraged by the positive reception of these appearances, Roper began to perform Wilfredo sporadically until the summer of 2009 while writing and exploring the concept of the character more fully. Another Glastonbury Festival appearance followed, as did performances at the

Winchester Hat Fair The Winchester Hat Fair is the UK's longest running festival of street theatre, comedy, and music which is held in Winchester, United Kingdom, always during the first weekend in July. Originally a buskers' fair, the first Hat Fair was held in 1 ...

. In September 2009 Wilfredo began to establish himself by way of guest performances on the London comedy circuit. In March 2010 Wilfredo was placed alongside

the Penny Dreadfuls The Penny Dreadfuls are a British sketch comedy troupe consisting of comedians Humphrey Ker, David Reed and Thom Tuck, often supported by Margaret Cabourn-Smith. The troupe are best known for writing and performing ''The Brothers Faversham'' a ...

and Angelos Epithemiou in

Pippa Evans Pippa Evans (born June 1982) is a British comedian, known for her work in character and improvisational comedy. Early life and education Evans attended Notting Hill and Ealing High School, an independent school for girls, where she was head gi ...

' ''Old Time New Time Music Hall'' at the Canal Café Theatre,Time Out: Pippa's Old Time New Time Music Hall
Time Out London, retrieved 8 January 2012 performing parodies and original song.

Major productions

Roper presented a sixty-minute show ''Wilfredo: A Man and His Music'' at the

Etcetera Theatre The Etcetera Theatre is a fringe venue for theatre and comedy. It was founded in 1986 and is situated above The Oxford Arms pub in Camden Town, in the London Borough of Camden. The Theatre won the ''1996 Guinness Ingenuity Award for Pub Theatr ...

in April 2010. Featuring the character Mana Maria on guitar, Wilfredo performed covers (Leonard Cohen's

Hallelujah ''Hallelujah'' ( ; he, ''haləlū-Yāh'', meaning "praise Yah") is an interjection used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four tim ...

), parody (

Those Were The Days Those Were the Days may refer to: Music Albums * ''Those Were the Days'' (Johnny Mathis album) (1968) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Cream album) (1997) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Dolly Parton album) (2005) * '' Those Were the Days – The Best of L ...

) and original songs from a fictionalized back catalogue of albums. Various affairs with prominent women including

Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spice. Wi ...

, American First Lady

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

and the Princess of Wales are claimed for the first time in The Child Is Not Mine, which becomes a flagship signature song. A journalist on the

Camden New Journal The ''Camden New Journal'' is a British independent newspaper published in the London Borough of Camden. It was launched by editor Eric Gordon (who died on 5 April 2021, aged 89) in 1982 following a two-year strike at its predecessor, the ''Ca ...

described "initial terror" at the character, later adding "I left unscathed, having spent the evening roaring with laughter."Wilfredo at the Etcetera - Camden New Journal
Camden New Journal, retrieved 8 January 2012 Roper then presented the show for the

Brighton Festival Fringe Brighton Fringe is an open-access arts festival held annually in Brighton, England. It is the largest annual arts festival in England and one of the largest fringe festivals in the world. The programme of 2018 included 1008 events at over 166 v ...

at the

Komedia Komedia is an arts and entertainment company which operates venues in the United Kingdom at Brighton and Bath, and a management and production company Komedia Entertainment. Beyond hosting live comedy, the venues also host music, cabaret, thea ...

, before performing the character in

Lecce Lecce ( ); el, label=Griko, Luppìu, script=Latn; la, Lupiae; grc, Λουπίαι, translit=Loupíai), group=pron is a historic city of 95,766 inhabitants (2015) in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, the province ...

, Italy for the Factory K-NOS

artist collective An artist collective is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the need ...

. In July 2010 Wilfredo became the surprise breakthrough act at the

Port Eliot Festival The Port Eliot Lit Fest is an annual celebration of all things literary taking place at Port Eliot in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It was founded by the late Jago Eliot. Guests who have attended the festival in past years are Hanif Kureishi, ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

,Vimeo - Port Eliot Festival: Lucia Helenka films the 2010 festival and asks a host of performers including Stephen Jones, Jarvis Cocker, Anna Sui, Anita Pallenberg, Barbara Hulanicki, Wilfredo and more what makes Port Eliot so special for them
Vimeo: Port Eliot Festival, retrieved 9 January 2012 performing two outdoor sets with Mana Maria before hosting the main stage, where he introduced

Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician and radio presenter. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp, he became a figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Following P ...

and

Talvin Singh Talvin Singh OBE (born 1970) is an English musician, producer, and composer. A tabla player, he is known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass. Singh is generally considered involved with an electronica ...

to the festival audience. Increasingly satirizing the cult of celebrity, Wilfredo was also filmed chatting to

Biba Biba was a London fashion store of the 1960s and 1970s. Biba was started and primarily run by the Polish-born Barbara Hulanicki with help of her husband Stephen Fitz-Simon. Early years Biba's early years were rather humble, with many of the ou ...

founder, the fashion designer

Barbara Hulanicki Barbara Hulanicki (b. 1936) is a fashion designer, born in Warsaw, Poland, to Polish parents and best known as the founder of clothes store Biba. Career Hulanicki was born in Warsaw, Poland, to Polish parents. Her father, Witold Hulanicki, w ...

, giving the impression to onlookers that she was his own personal designer.Matt Roper and Jackie Juno a double bill at the Totnes Festival
'' PRSD'', retrieved 15 September 2010 The following year Wilfredo once again hosted, appearing onstage with

John Cooper Clarke John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. Around this time, he performed on stage with sev ...

Louis Eliot Louis Robert Eliot (born 11 April 1968) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, formerly of Kinky Machine and Rialto. Biography Eliot formed Rialto in 1995 with former Kinky Machine bandmate Johnny Bull. The band achieved UK chart su ...

and

Bellowhead Bellowhead is an English contemporary folk band, active from 2004 to 2016, reforming in 2020. The eleven-piece act played traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical style ...

.Port Eliot Festival 2011 - Performers
Port Eliot Festival, retrieved 8 January 2012 In August 2010 the character returned to Italy for an appearance at the Salento Summer Festival.Wilfredo in Italy - Youtube.com
YouTube, retrieved 8 January 2012 From 10 June – 7 July 2013 Wilfredo appeared at the Cape Town Comedy Festival at the

Baxter Theatre The Baxter Theatre Centre is a performing arts complex in Rondebosch, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. The Baxter, as it is often known, is part of the University of Cape Town; it is also the second largest performing arts complex in Cape ...

. On 12 July the character performed at the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation comedy gala in the presence of

Archbishop Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and Christian theology, theologian, known for his work as an Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Anglican ...

. On 25 June Wilfredo appeared on the ''Expresso'' show, aired nationally on the South African

SABC The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...

network.

Wilfredo: Erecto!

In March 2011 Wilfredo enjoyed a limited season at the

Leicester Square Theatre The Leicester Square Theatre is a 400-seat theatre in Leicester Place, immediately north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It was previously known as Notre Dame Hall, Cavern in the Town and The Venue. The theatre hosts st ...

Latinos in London - Wilfredo at Leicester Square Theatre
Latinos in London, retrieved 8 January 2012 where he began to preview new material for the forthcoming

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

. The writer Joanna Lloyd described him as "the bastard love child of

Les Patterson Sir Leslie Colin "Les" Patterson (born 1 April 1942) is a fictional character created and portrayed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries. Obese, lecherous and offensive, Patterson is Dame Edna Everage's exact opposite: she is female, refined, Pr ...

and

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...

."Wilfredo, Erecto! ★★★★★ - Leicester Square Theatre by Joanna Lloyd
London Festival Fringe, retrieved 8 January 2012 The show – a retrospective journey of his life and times told for the first time entirely in original song – eventually became ''Wilfredo: Erecto!''. Further previews were later staged to small audiences at the Canal Cafe Theatre. In addition, on 16 June Roper presented the character to an audience at the

Poetry Society The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry". The society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

,Poetry Society - An Evening with Shy Yeti and Other Animals
Poetrysociety.org.uk, retrieved 8 January 2012 reciting a spoken-word version of Leonard Cohen's 'Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye'. An appearance in the first series of

Rufus Hound Rufus Hound (born Robert James Blair Simpson 6 March 1979) is an English actor, comedian and presenter. Early life Hound was born on 6 March 1979, in Essex and moved to Surrey at the age of seven. He was educated at Hoe Bridge School Woking ...

's ''What's So Funny?'' for

BBC Radio 7 BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British Digital radio in the United Kingdom, digital radio broadcasting, radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a ...

(now

BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a day. It is the sister station of BBC Radio 4 and the p ...

) was enough to initiate further interest in the character from radio audiences, while an appearance at the E4 Udderbelly for Arthur Smith's ''Pissed Up Chat Show'' (sold to audiences as the only show where the host is sober but all his guests are drunk) followed successfully in July 2011. ''Wilfredo: Erecto!'' was performed nightly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 4–28 August 2011 at the

Underbelly Underbelly is the side of something that is not normally seen. Figuratively, it means a vulnerable or weak part, similar to the term Achilles' heel, or alternatively, a hidden, illicit side of society. This term could refer to: Business * ...

, drawing good houses and a positive commentary in the British press.

Isy Suttie Isobel Jane "Isy" Suttie (; born 11 August 1978) is a British musical comedian, actress, and writer. She played Dobby in the British sitcom ''Peep Show'', and in 2013 won the gold Sony Radio Academy Award for her radio show ''Pearl And Dave''. ...

, writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' newspaper, described the show as "weird, intimate and wonderful" while

What's on Stage WhatsOnStage.com is a London-based website that provides information about, and offers tickets for, theatrical performances in the United Kingdom. It also organises the annual WhatsOnStage Awards. Founded in 1996, it has been owned by the Americ ...

observed "Wilfredo sees himself as a kind of Messiah figure, born to sing, write poetry, and seduce an endless succession of women." What's On Stage Edinburgh Reviews

– Edinburgh Festival 2011, Wilfredo 8 January 2012 The British comedy industry website Chortle noted the character as "sometimes cantankerous, often lecherous and almost certainly consumptive... coughing and burping his way through the set, at one point hacking up phlegm like a horse chewing a toffee" while the critic at ''

ThreeWeeks ''ThreeWeeks'' is a magazine that covers the Edinburgh Festivals in August. It has covered the Edinburgh Festival since 1996 . It also covered the Brighton Festival from 2006 to 2010, but withdrew due to lack of financial support. Education ...

'' lauded Wilfredo as both "disgusting and arousing". The ''

Erotic Review ''Erotic Review'' is a monthly UK-based lifestyle publication. Covering eroticism and sex-related topics, it was first published in 1995 as a print magazine, migrating to an eZine format in June 2010. In addition to the monthly magazine, avail ...

'' found the character "a lewd yet loveable Latino" and '' Time Out'' "an extraordinary creation". From others, Roper found himself tipped as a Steve Coogan for the next generation, while '' The List'' found Wilfredo simply "unlikeable".

Wilfredo... and Other Beautiful Creatures

In June 2011 the first of five editions of ''Wilfredo... and Other Beautiful Creatures'' was staged at the Phoenix Artist Club in

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

. Headed by Wilfredo and featuring a variety of musical and comic guests, the show took place each month in the basement club. Guests included the

Pajama Men The Pajama Men are Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez, an American comedy duo of character comics from Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have won awards including the Barry Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2009, and Best Newcomer ...

Barry from Watford Alex Lowe (born 15 January 1968) is an English actor, comedian and voice artist. He is the creator and performer of the character Barry from Watford on Steve Wright's BBC Radio 2 show and Iain Lee's shows, as well as also being the creator ...

, Loretta Maine,

Lewis Schaffer Lewis Schaffer is an American comedian and broadcaster, based in Nunhead, south-east London, where he moved in 2000. He currently hosts his own weekly radio show on Resonance 104.4FM in London. He also appears regularly, as of 2023, as a pund ...

and Lenny Beige. On 25 December 2011, Wilfredo recorded the Christmas Day edition of ''The Comedy Club'' for

The Wonderful World of Wilfredo

In February 2012 the first performance of ''The Wonderful World of Wilfredo'' was presented at London's

BAC BAC or Bac may refer to: Places * Bac, Rožaje, Bac, a village in Montenegro * Baile Átha Cliath, Irish language name for Dublin city. * Bîc River, aka ''Bâc River'', a Moldovan river * Baç Bridge, bridge in Turkey * Barnes County Municipal A ...

, programmed for the N20 Comedy Festival. In April Wilfredo guested at the

Camden Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue situated at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhouse, ...

for a short season in performances curated by Scottee for CircusFest 2012. On 6 July Wilfredo performed in ''Arthur Smith's Benefit for the Royal Yacht'' at the E4 Udderbelly at the

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nat ...

, an alternative Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert. ''The Wonderful World of Wilfredo'' was a sixty-minute performance during which Wilfredo elaborated on his friendship with

and boasted of affairs with both the actress

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...

and the British politician

Harriet Harman Harriet Ruth Harman (born 30 July 1950) is a British politician and solicitor who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Camberwell and Peckham, formerly Peckham, since 1982. A member of the Labour Party, she has served in various Cabi ...

. Reviewed by the festival press as "seductive",The Skinny
The Wonderful World of Wilfredo, Reviewed by Bernard O'Leary – Retrieved 30 August 2012 "physically repellent but charming" and "quite inappropriate", it was performed nightly at the 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Just the Tonic from 2 to 26 August after previewing in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. In Manchester he guested on Beatwolf Radio, interviewed by Vic McGlynn and performing a live performance of 'Lady Holiday', during which Mike Joyce, former drummer of iconic Manchester band

the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...

, played percussion. In Edinburgh the show gained positive press reviews. '' The Skinny'' hailed the show as "a strange blend of obnoxious, almost Sadowitzian humour and exquisitely beautiful music." Time Out magazine noted "Roper inhabits his creation deeply, undercutting his hauteur and self-delusion with beams of charm and dollops of soul". A studio soundtrack of the show has since been recorded and released for download.

Wilfredo Comes To Town (Documentary short)

12 July 2013 saw the first screening of the documentary short ''Wilfredo Comes To Town'' at London's Leicester Square Theatre in an evening billed as ''Wilfredo on Stage/Wilfredo on Screen: A Celebration''. Shooting over the winter of 2011/2 on the streets of London and at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

, it was an attempt to move the character from the stage to the screen. The film-maker Mat Snead has said of the film: "I think what I wanted to do was to try and take Wilfredo off stage and almost push the absurdity of it by showing him in a real world environment. Wilfredo really does exist on stage, so what I was trying to do was get him off stage and get him into some different environments and do some things that you can’t do on stage. I’ve seen a lot of those kinds of acts, but there are very few that can actually pull it off."

Wilfredo: Deconstructed and World Tour – present

Following a short

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...

an tour of

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

and

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

, ''Wilfredo: Deconstructed'' opened at the Edinburgh Festival 31 July to 24 August 2014, drawing good reviews in the festival press. The Scottish magazine The Skinny noted the performance as "a cabaret performance much closer to the real thing than you might have believed possible on arrival. For all the Spanish crooner parody (which could so easily descend into dated, 2D 'funny foreigner' stuff) the joke is perhaps on us" while

Kate Copstick Kate Copstick (born 25 February 1956 in Glasgow) is a Scottish actress, television presenter, writer, critic, director and producer. She studied for a law degree at the University of Glasgow. Career As a comedy actor, Copstick appeared on c ...

of the

Scotsman The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded t ...

newspaper hailed the character as "a master of seduction" and the music "timeless". Such criticism was later lost on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

, who banned ''Peace All Over The World (At Christmas Time)'' – a festive single release by the character in a duet with the comedian Pippa Evans under the guise of Latino star Carmella – on the basis of "daytime listeners being offended". Wilfredo embarked on a Spring tour of the

Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Isla ...

region in 2015, having opened at the

Adelaide Fringe The Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, i ...

on 1 March and giving performances in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and at the

Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...

. On 6 July, ''Wilfredo Unchained: Live in California'' was released worldwide as a download-only concert album, originally recorded in

Petaluma, California Petaluma (Miwok languages, Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 a ...

in April 2014. Presently Wilfredo makes regular weekend appearances at the Slipper Room, a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

theatre in the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City. According to a piece by the British comedy blogger John Fleming published in December 2015, Wilfredo will appear in a feature film entitled ''The Mel and Fanny Movie'', directed by James Habacker. Shooting is to begin in New York City early 2016.

External links

Official Website
– News, tour dates, contact and media. * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilfredo British comedians British cabaret performers Comedy theatre characters Fictional Spanish people Fictional musicians Fictional singers Theatre characters introduced in 2008 Male characters in theatre