Monday
In the past ten years, I have been to some epic parties with off-the-chart shenanigans like recreating scenes in a pop-up of Night of the Iguana, complete with a bus, or a dinosaur-sized alebrije jostling dancers for space during a street party, or the time 700 people showed up over three hours to see what new artworks were hanging on the walls at Art Vallarta, while sampling free cakes off a round banquet table laden with choice pasteles of every description.
All of the above (and many more) were created by Nathalie Herling, the Director of ART VallARTa up on Pilitas, and the ART VallARTa Museo. If she wasn’t already wearing more hats than humanly possible, she’d be a shoo-in as Best Party Planner of the Year!
Her latest, a fundraiser for her Museum, turned her art school into a warren of inviting themed spaces.
One – a workshop full of kilns and porcelain and clay turned into a space eerily quiet, subtly lit, and devoted to silent auction items. Another space, usually full of Nathalie’s pots from all over Mexico, had a tequila cocktail bar and a seafood sampler station. A dark and mysteriously lit living room had overstuffed armchairs and a plethora of old books and antiques; many people started and ended the night in that room – it had its own staffed bar and waiters. Why climb stairs?
An upstairs windowed salon was full of light bouncing off trays of vegetarian offerings, fresh fruit tarts, and chocolate-drizzled wafers; food tables were in every corner and were kept replenished with fresh all night long.
White-shirted/black-bowtied wait staff served ‘wedges’ of corn on the cob on one floor of Art Vallarta. Messy but delish.
I saw singer Yoalli Guerrero (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), microphone in hand, on her way, pushing through the crowds, heading somewhere in the cavernous building to entertain. I never did find out where she sang.
I was distracted from looking for her while I was chatting with friends when one of Mexico’s finest tenors, Jorge Escheagaray, from Mazatlan, burst into O Sole Mio, then followed that attention-grabber with the brilliant, difficult aria Nessun Dorma from Turandot that left people sobbing in his wake as he slowly walked through the room. Seeing him again for hugs and listening to his magnificent voice was extraordinary.
So, that’s how it’s done, people. Next time you see an event happening at either ART VallARTa or the ARTe VallARTa Museo (like the First Saturday of every Month Fiesta) – go! I can guarantee that there will be something pleasantly non-conformist and unusual going on. Add wine, good food, and live entertainment, and you have the makings for a splendid evening.
Come back in the morning for a full report on Opening Night of Tony Award winner Levi Kreis at The Palm Cabaret, dear friend Gabe’s Open House and Francie’s Vallarta Girls School fundraiser at Los Mangos Library From Here.
Tuesday
Levi Kreis’s exuberant return to Vallarta and The Palm Cabaret necessitated adding chairs to accommodate the number of people clamoring to see him as quickly as possible on Opening Night (he does have a few more shows). To exclaim that he is such a great entertainer, I would have to become more evangelical than him.
He was truly among friends – old and new, his eyes constantly searching the audience for people he knew and acknowledging them with a pointed finger and that dazzling smile.
Jason Antone, Levi’s husband, joined him onstage for a couple of songs; I imagine their days together must ring with harmonies – two gorgeous voices.
Levi dug deep and found a couple of new hilarious family stories of growing up in rural Tennessee that he shared with us; he could have retold his old tales, line by line, and we would not have minded anything to keep him onstage working that Southern drawl or singing.
A year ago, again at The Palm, Levi told us, the audience, that he was in the process of writing a book that he wanted to put to music and present in New York City. “Already Perfect” is making the required rounds, gathering up directors, cast, musicians, and more. Levi hopes to open this year.
In 2010, this six-foot-tall, child piano-playing prodigy won his first Tony award for creating Jerry Lee Lewis in The Million Dollar Quartet on Broadway; could Already Perfect lead to more awards in way more than one category?
This charismatic musician and actor will be 45 years old this November. It certainly appears his future will be superabundant, as will ours if he continues to visit and keeps on spreading the love. Check out VallartaCalendar.com for Levi Kreis’s showtimes. See him; you can thank me later.
Gabe Arciniega threw an Open House in his charming downtown Vallarta casita. He said he was tired of seeing various groups of his friends in different parts of town and wanted them all under one roof for a couple of hours. And so we converged for conversation, cake, cocktails, and to share with Gabe our love for him. He pulled out all the stops and hired caterers and a couple of bartenders. Evidently, ALL of Gabe’s friends are a thirsty lot! A little after 6, Kiko, Cassandra, her two doggies, and I rode together to Los Mangos Library for the balance of the Vallarta Girls School fundraiser.
The lawns under the towering mango trees teemed with families on blankets, singles, and couples scattered about in chairs, eating, drinking adult beverages, and enjoying the music.
Two bandstands meant no lulls in the live music for seven hours. We caught Slyvie and the Zippers, The Roxsand band, and last, but not least, Diego Guerrero and The Dirties, who I deliberately stayed for even though it was late.
They have only played a handful of times in Vallarta and I think I have been to every concert and will continue to do so. I had a few minutes with Diego, and we threw ideas back and forth on various combinations of old, great rock bands for possible upcoming tribute shows starring Diego and a few other notable singers in town. If any of these ideas come to fruition, you’ll be the first to know!
Some notables in the crowd: The Lymans, Madeline Celeste and her lovely Jose, Andrea Jackson, Francie Nguyen, Sarah Joy, and daughters, Ana Adame and loads more.
Heading upriver this aft for the Beach Boys at Rancho Santiago and later, Open Mic at Nacho Daddy. See you somewhere From Here.
Wednesday
The Beach Boys Tribute Tuesday out at Rancho Santiago last evening filled everyone with nostalgia for the old days when the most important thing in a young guy’s life was his hot car and the women wistfully recalling bikini days on hot summer weekends by some body of water.
I got there early enough to hear a bit of Kurt Sinner’s band, Perros del Rio, and I was shocked by how many Beach Boy lyrics I remembered. The dancing horses visited to show off again and gave the crowd more photo ops. City bus #04 was full heading back into town, and amazingly, I made it to Nacho Daddy for Open Mic with about 5 minutes to spare.
Richard Lucas hosted, leaving Gouda Gabor and her big hair at home for a change, and kicked off the night with Sargento singing a song from their show Glee. One more of them only, it’s a blast – I was at their Opening Night – this coming Monday, the 24th, at Nacho Daddy.
The night progressed with lots of new people, many testing the entertainment waters for possible gigs post-vacation. It was a great mix with Mark Hartman on piano, who is evidently immune to jet lag and was boots on the ground in NYC yesterday at 6 am.
Guitarist Aldo Parra Jaime was busy accompanying Gabe Arciniega, among others. We had a poet who grabbed our attention with the title of his first poem, “Eating Eyelashes.” Never let it be said that Open Mic is boring!
Gloria Fiona is still playing to full houses with her Adele Tribute at various venues around town. Stephanie Wright Watts sang with David Maiocco as did Cate Valcic, all of them promoting their shows at Act2PV.
Funnyman, standup comic Jordan Parker got his name in early enough this week to make us laugh.
Open Mic is a brand new show every week, unpredictable and always entertaining; see you at Nacho Daddy next Tuesday at 7:30. Oh, which reminds me, next week at Rancho Santiago is one of the best tribute shows ever to be heard in Vallarta: Megan Schroeder and Ian Hebert team up to reprise an unforgettable Fleetwood Mac extravaganza. This show will sell out, so get your tickets and more information at VallartaCalendar.com
This coming Sunday is the RISE Finale at Teatro Vallarta. In its fourth edition, the biggest fundraiser for the RISE Children’s Shelter is essential to support these kids day to day and to introduce up and coming new talent to Vallarta. Again, see VC for more info. And, I will see you at Teatro Vallarta on Sunday, From Here.
Thursday
We had a good crowd at Qulture yesterday for our weekly Scrabble games. Everyone is welcome to come and play, and we would appreciate any turntable game boards you are no longer using. No worries if tiles are missing; we have a bag full of replacement letters. Thanks in advance!
I went last night to listen to Yoalli Guerrero at Casita & Garden. Very close to a full house enjoying dinner – tourists for the most part, as I only recognized Eddie from the American English Tree language school and his lovely wife.
Yoalli has recently teamed up with Jorge, singer, and guitarist, so they are testing the waters to find the right genres and picking songs that will suit their audiences. A request for Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee” went exceptionally well; Yoalli is a rocker at heart.
You can hear her at The Palm Cabaret every Sunday night as Yitzhak opposite Jordon Carnegie’s Hedwig (and the Angry Inch). She is letter-perfect for the role.
She can also do slow and easy but has far too much energy to stay there for a sustained period. That just means she is always a delight to watch and listen to.
I am heading to Studs bar on Basilio Badillo tonight at 6, to catch up with Jerry Jones, the publisher of Out and About Puerto Vallarta magazine that sponsors these great Gay Mixers. They are an excellent opportunity for establishments to become more well-known in town, and eye candy is everywhere. If the crowds at every single one of these events are any indication, they have been the smash hit of the season. Maybe I will see you tonight.
Then, to Act2 to see and hear NYC’s multiple-award-winning cabaret star Dawn Derow at 7 pm.
Tomorrow, up at the top of Pilitas Street, at Art Vallarta’s little theater, is the Opening Night of “Dangerous When Wet – Booze, Sex and My Mother.” Sounds promising, no? A full report on those upcomings as they unravel, From Here.
Friday
The Grand Finale for the “So, You Think You Can Rise” talent competition is this Sunday at Teatro Vallarta at 7 pm. It has become, in four years, one of the most important events of the season. Not just to raise money for the RISE Children’s Shelter but also to galvanize our entertainment community.
I finally got to see the upstairs part of Studs Bar last night at the O & A Gay Mixer. The low ceilings, black walls and red lighting, oh, and the cages and a long divan up at the back overlooking godknowswhat.
When Mike Owens moved to Vallarta and opened Therapy, it quickly became one of my favorite bars in town. Studs, Vallarta’s first leather bar, was upstairs and was exclusively for guys. Within a year, the demand for more space, outed Therapy, and the whole place became Studs. Hey, when something works, right?
The Mixer last night was the busiest one all season. The publisher of Out and About magazine, Jerry Jones, will have the numbers later; it will be in the high hundreds. The fabulous Jet de la Isla, co-producer of these prodigious events with Jerry, held court just inside the front door and introduced me to a couple of harnessed go-go dancers.
The new hotdog place up Basilio Badillo – Salchidogo – provided snacks throughout the night; two waiters were kept busy running back and forth with enormous trays, trying to keep up with demand.
Another extremely successful event, well-done everybody. I had to leave early to get to Act2 for a 7 pm show, but I had a second with owner Mike Owens and asked him, “So, Mike, tell me what really goes on upstairs in the middle of the night.” He looked at me and, with a face full of sincerity, said, “We have bible studies. Lots of bible studies.”
I swear my laughter carried me the entire block to Act2, From Here.
