Luis de Alba Makes Ugly Episode in Mexico Uglier Richard Fausset - The Los Angeles Times
go to original October 1, 2013

Mexican actor Luis de Alba is the star of “Elba Esther Lost the Case,” a satirical play based on former teachers union boss Elba Esther Gordillo. (Richard Fausset/Los Angeles Times)

MEXICO CITY — Actor Luis de Alba sat calm and Buddha-like in a tiny dressing room of the Teatro Blanquita, his eyes closed. A makeup artist, armed with a fat brush dipped in liquid foundation, was painting his broad face with big strokes, as though it were the side of a barn.

It was the first step in transforming De Alba, one of Mexico's most beloved comedians, into a garish approximation of one of Mexico's least loved women, Elba Esther Gordillo, the once-powerful teachers union boss whose posh lifestyle erupted in a bonfire of vanities in February, when federal authorities arrested her on charges of embezzlement and organized crime.

It was Friday night. On stage, De Alba's fellow actors could be heard finishing the first act of their play, "Elba Esther Lost the Case." Though not every word could be made out from backstage, the attitude came through clear enough. It was a sort of sustained satirical raspberry — broad, cunning, cutting — and soon it would be focused on De Alba's version of Gordillo, a hot mess of hubris, denial and massive quantities of makeup.

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