It is said that the success of this telenovela surprised even the people who made it. First, everything which could have gone wrong went wrong. Actress Yajaira Orta (villainess Rosalba) got ill and had to be replaced halfway by Dalila Colombo (excellent as ever). Then, Mariela Alcalá (heroine Rubí), whose character had already given birth to triplets, fell pregnant in real life and the pregnancy had to be incorporated in the series. At the same time, Jaime Araque (hero Victor Alfonso) caught rubella, which was dangerous for the unborn baby. The actors were forced to shoot their scenes separately, which were later mixed in editing.
Second, the producers seemed bent on destroying the telenovela. They suddenly decided to change the plot and the characters' personalities: rebellious and vivacious Rubí became an archetypal damsel in distress, while responsible, soft-spoken Victor Alfonso became a womaniser whose stupidity defied belief. Even worse, sets of characters and whole story lines (including the most interesting ones) disappeared without explanation and were substituted by absolutely dull ones (the Dandy's soporific criminal plot, so ineffective that provoked laughter). We never knew what happened to Ana María (Victor Alfonso's first girlfriend), who had to decide if she kept her baby after being raped by villain Nelson. They also got rid of Marilú, the fair-skinned girl who rejected her black mother. We used to joke they got lost on the Bermuda triangle. The plot only recovered a little in the final chapters, when Rubí was placed in a power position, Victor Alfonso went through a process of expiation and Marilú returned to her mother, having seen the error of her ways.
Then, why was it successful? In my opinion, it was the excellent actors, especially Mariela Alcalá and Adolfo Cubas. Mariela is one of those actresses who work for an industry that seems unable to exploit her full potential. Not only she effortlessly transformed from low class tomboy to elegant lady in the telenovela, but she also composed and sang the main theme. And who can forget the immense charisma of Adolfo Cubas as villain Nelson. He made a sadist, despicable, amoral character become an audience favourite. Those two actors made "Rubí" worth watching.
Second, the producers seemed bent on destroying the telenovela. They suddenly decided to change the plot and the characters' personalities: rebellious and vivacious Rubí became an archetypal damsel in distress, while responsible, soft-spoken Victor Alfonso became a womaniser whose stupidity defied belief. Even worse, sets of characters and whole story lines (including the most interesting ones) disappeared without explanation and were substituted by absolutely dull ones (the Dandy's soporific criminal plot, so ineffective that provoked laughter). We never knew what happened to Ana María (Victor Alfonso's first girlfriend), who had to decide if she kept her baby after being raped by villain Nelson. They also got rid of Marilú, the fair-skinned girl who rejected her black mother. We used to joke they got lost on the Bermuda triangle. The plot only recovered a little in the final chapters, when Rubí was placed in a power position, Victor Alfonso went through a process of expiation and Marilú returned to her mother, having seen the error of her ways.
Then, why was it successful? In my opinion, it was the excellent actors, especially Mariela Alcalá and Adolfo Cubas. Mariela is one of those actresses who work for an industry that seems unable to exploit her full potential. Not only she effortlessly transformed from low class tomboy to elegant lady in the telenovela, but she also composed and sang the main theme. And who can forget the immense charisma of Adolfo Cubas as villain Nelson. He made a sadist, despicable, amoral character become an audience favourite. Those two actors made "Rubí" worth watching.
