Copi and Camp Theater: The Act of Dressing and Undressing as the Ontology of the Self in the play Eva Peron

Abstract

The literary works of Argentine novelist and playwright Raul Damonte Botana (1939-1987)
—better known as Copi— have divided the opinion of critics. Those that have analyzed Copi’s fiction and plays argue that his creations generate in readers certain feeling of uneasiness when faced with a fictional world that is chaotic, excessive, and saturated with incongruencies and evil characters. Even though Copi’s theater may be conceptualized as a (failed) attempt to break free from any school of thought, influence or tradition, nonetheless there are a series of characteristics for which we may examine Copi’s plays through the optics of camp —a type of sensibility associated with queer identity, also known for being frivolous, eccentric, and pretentious, as well as for exhibiting certain fascination with costumes and ornaments. As a reading strategy, camp enables us to recognize the value of Copi’s unusual creations, beyond classifying his theater as an anomaly. In order to achieve this goal, I analyze Eva Peron, a play that presents us with a drag queen version of Eva Peron, so campy in style; she is exaggerated and obsessed with fashion and her fancy outfits. I argue that though the play Eva Peron, Copi offers an ontological treaty in which identity is essentially explained as an aesthetic artefact, an outfit or a costume, and the being is constituted by the act of dressing and undressing. In this essay, I present several camp definitions and provide a brief historical overview of this style. I proceed on to describe the characteristics for which camp theater is known. Lastly, I analyze Eva Peron by focusing on the many aesthetic references in the play that function around the idea of what it means to create an identity.