The musical nods in 'Mariliendre' that you'd missed: a tribute to three great films

The musical series Mariliendre , produced by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi and available on Atresplayer Premium, celebrates the figure of the inseparable friend of the gay community, through the story of Meri Román ( Blanca Martínez ), who in the past was the diva of Madrid's gay nights. In its second episode , Javier Ferreiro's fiction hides a series of references that will fascinate lovers of the musical genre.

The second installment of the series, titled Lo que te conté mientras te asía la pilla (a clear nod to one of La Oreja de Van Gogh's studio albums), pays tribute to three of the best musical films of all time, with sequences that combine humor, rhythm, and nostalgia. Behind Mariliendre 's early 2000s melodies and choreography lies meticulous work led by musical director Pablo Lluch , who has confessed on TikTok and Instagram his obsession with inserting recognizable cinematic references into the second chapter.

Through a vibrant and very well-orchestrated staging, the series turns its musical numbers into a direct homage to classics such as the colorful energy of Hairspray , in an optimistic moment of the plot, in which the reference is mixed with I'll Do It For You , by Paulina Rubio .

The episode closes with a clear reference to one of the most recent musicals. It's La La Land , where, with jazz beats and choreography reminiscent of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling's dancing, Martínez and Carlos González perform "Ella ," the popular song by Bebe from 2004.

Star moment

The most iconic moment, however, comes with the "pill tango," in which each character represents a substance, and together they form a choral rhythm that emulates the iconic "Cell Block Tango " number from the film Chicago . The song begins with this reference, then goes on to sing the popular "Toma vitamina " by the band La Fiesta.

Far from being a simple pastiche, these references reinforce Mariliendre 's emotional and vindictive discourse , elevating her proposal beyond drama and turning it into a love letter to musicals and the LGTBIQ+ community.