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/ Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Sully Díaz: from soap
opera star to being “a Rican” The actress now ventures into the stand-up comedy circuit
L
Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal
ooking for something different to do Sunday night? Look no further, go to a standup comedy show. But not just any show. Go to see Sully Díaz at the Fairmont San Juan Hotel. Yes, I’m talking about that Sully Díaz… you know… Coralito, the girl from the famous “telenovela” from the 1980s. Of course, now that she tours the stand-up circuit she goes by Sully D., which sounds more like a rapper’s name, but “a rose by any other name is still a rose.” For those who don’t know her, or are too young to remember, Sully quickly became a household name in the 1980s after she debuted as “Coralito,” (little coral) the leading character in the telenovela by the same name. A modern-day Cinderella story (Caribbean style), Coralito was a hit and started Sully’s career in show business. Fast forward to the current roaring twenties, Sully is now venturing in stand-up comedy with her show “I am Rican”. “I was born in Puerto Rico’s largest barrio, the Bronx, in New York. But my parents were Puerto Ricans, so… throw that together and you get a ‘Nuyorican.’ So, I am Rican,” asserts Sully right of the bat at the beginning of her show. Like any other ‘Rican’ Sully’s on stage personae is quick to offer her take on just about anything, from the hardships/boredom of the pandemic lockdown, pop artists, marriage, growing up Nuyorican and her career. “Do you know that they still call me Coralito? I could be like standing in line at the bank or the supermarket, and they go ‘you are Coralito, ‘verdad…’ You know what… I’ve done many things after that telenovela,” her character recalls. Sully also questions why Americans make such a big fuss about cooking, arguing about the reasons for having cooking shows on TV. “Did you know they even have a show where famous chefs cook against not so famous chefs? The worst of them is Bobby Flay. Did you know this guy goes to your restaurant to cook your dish, and he cooks it better than you?,” she denounces to the audience, while squarely saying no one cooks better than Puerto Rican grandmothers. The cozy Chico Cabaret at The Lobby in the Fairmont is the perfect venue for Sully’s show
I was born in Puerto Rico’s largest barrio, the Bronx, in New York. But my parents were Puerto Ricans, so… throw that together and you get a ‘Nuyorican.’ Sully Díaz Actress and comedian
because it allows her to interact with the audience
without any filter. “I’ve always liked having that direct communication with the audience… it is great connection,” the artist said. Like any other full-blooded Rican, Sully addresses her audience in ‘Spanglish,’ the official language of Nuyoricans, and while it could be argued that the language barrier might limit communication, the fact is, it doesn’t. After countless years spent with our Nuyorican cousins coming to Puerto Rico for their summer or Christmas vacations, we are all too familiar with the lingo, and clearly understand the nuances and double entendre of Spanglish. Sully D’s “I am Rican” show is on Sundays, at 7:00pm on the Chico Cabaret at the Fairmont San Juan Hotel.
