It is precisely Penélope Cruz, who plays cuplet singer Nené Romero in the film, who refers to one of the best-known Aragonese artists in the world of entertainment and variety shows: Raquel Meller. In a dialogue with Sebastián, played by Guitarricadelafuente, her character begins talking about the female impersonator Edmond de Bries, who imitated all the artists of the era. "He did all of them, Pastora Imperio, la Argentinita, La Goya. Everyone except Meller—not her," the actress is heard saying.
Raquel Meller was a celebrated cuplet singer born in Tarazona who achieved great popularity during the first decades of the 20th century. That said, in addition to her charm and virtuosity, she was known for another trait: her character. Although the dialogue ends there and the film offers no further explanation, everything suggests that the movie is referring to an incident involving the woman from Tarazona that was reported in the press of the time.
It was in November 1915 that Raquel Meller became involved in one of the most talked-about disputes in Spanish entertainment. The Aragonese artist went to Madrid's Teatro Romea, where Encarnación López Júlvez, known as La Argentinita, was performing. She was a dancer who had incorporated imitations of other major figures of the time into her repertoire.
During that performance, La Argentinita parodied Raquel Meller by performing the cuplet "El matrimonio." The Tarazona artist's reaction was immediate: she went up on stage and slapped her. The episode was reported in the press of the time and became an example of the tensions and rivalries that existed among some of the stars of the entertainment world.
RAQUEL MELLER, FROM TARAZONA TO THE WORLD'S GREAT STAGES
Behind that stage name was Francisca Marqués López, born in Tarazona in 1888. She became one of the great figures of the cuplet and achieved international fame thanks to her way of performing songs and an artistic personality that set her apart from other performers of her generation. "La violetera" and "El relicario" stand out among her repertoire.
