Recap: Good Morning, From Here, March29 – April 04
Monday
I finally caught the Burlesque show at Coco Cabaret on what turned out to be their closing night. I had heard it was funny; hilarious is more like it. I also heard it was well done; cleverly brilliant is more to the point.
Writers JT Horenstein and Tamale Ringwald teamed up, took the 15-year-old movie starring Cher, Christina Aguilera, et al, substituted drag queens, twisted the locale to take place in Puerto Vallarta rather than Los Angeles and combined a couple of major characters, Hey! It’s a small stage.
“A burlesque is a … musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.” This was that definition and so much more.
All of the major sponsors for Burlesque had video footage seamlessly melded into the narrative to boost their businesses. Mentions of them peppered the dialogue and a few of the owners who are well-known and loved in town were roasted. See? Brilliant! The singular reference to being gay came out of Nacho Granados’ mouth, the only straight guy in the works. See? Funny.
I was not prepared for the extraordinary caliber of the voices; why not parody all the moving parts? Argentine transplant Nacho Granados, who played waiter/unrequited songwriter Eddie, I know well; he delivered perfection as he always does. Evita Loca, who embodied Cher as Tess, owner of the cabaret, did not break character for a second. The show could have been called “Burlesque – Including A Tribute To Cher.” Evita has better legs!
Ada Vox is a young, 30-something drag legend from American Idol and Queen of the Universe fame. Move over, Christina Aguilera, the new girl in town, Ms. Ali(ce), is in the house.
Delta Miles is big, bold, and brassy as Nikki, the darling, loud, drunken has-been of the Burlesque Lounge. With his outstanding voice, Devin Richards did double duty as two diametrically opposed characters, Sean (the Good but Gay) and Marcus (the Evil skyscraper-builder).
Burlesque is already in rewrite, as most of the cast members are not from Vallarta and have obligations in the US for the summer season. There are also the tiny details that burlesque as a genre contains numerous dance numbers that usually incorporate some kind of striptease, neither of which happens in the current design. There is talk of a touring company and a recurrence of a new show in Vallarta.
Whatever direction Burlesque takes, in the hands of Tamale and TJ, it will be groundbreaking and unlike anything else in the city. In the 34 years I have lived in Vallarta, a few shows have been etched in my brain for their out-of-this-world production values: Equus, for the drama; Vacare, for creating a dream onstage; Princesas Desesperadas for the comedy and I can add Burlesque for the Best Musical. This is significant because I have seen Equus, Vacare, and Princesas multiple times, and Burlesque was but once, and that on closing night. How I wish that wasn’t so From Here.
Tuesday
This morning, I learned a powerful lesson. By trying to say something nice yesterday in my column about Burlesque, I inadvertently stomped all over another production – Hedwig and the Angry Inch, that I have been raving about for a year. That production’s recent cancelation mid-season because of a traumatic attack on Jordon Carnegie – Hedwig – also canceled the show in my brain. I cannot take my words back, but I can add the following amendment to my list of all-time favorites: Burlesque for the Best Musical Parody and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Best Musical Drama. I am grateful to Jordon’s husband, Richard, for pointing out my faux pas. I hope and pray for forgiveness and will, in the future, maintain a neutral balance, or, at least try. There is no ‘better than’ in anything. Mea culpa.
I picked up my sister Patrice at the airport on Saturday afternoon. When she landed, she sent me a message that her plane was behind five others, and at least six more queued behind her while they waited for busses to offload them. It looked like December outside Arrivals, with hundreds of people waiting on transportation. It went very smoothly, however, and the anticipated hours-long wait never materialized.
Our last Non-Impact Aerobics class at the IFC was full. Our instructor, Deborah Darr, is heading back to Chicago (today) to take up her other life. Our lovely and kind classmate, Georgia Darehshori, had the whole lot of us over to her condo for a light lunch and to celebrate dancing together in peace and love. We nibbled on fancy vegetarian sandwiches, piles of fresh fruit, and aguas frescas. Oh, and chocolate brownies. No, not that kind of brownie!
Today, Patrice and I are doing our favorite thing – shopping. First at Coapinole at the tianguis, then La Comer for coffee and sweet treats, Costco for cat goodies, home for a siesta, and out later this evening.
Galeria Browne is hosting Out and About Puerto Vallarta Magazine’s Gay Mixer in collaboration with Jet de la Isla’s new Everything Gay Facebook page. Always a pleasure to see Jerry Jones, owner, publisher, and editor of that esteemed publication, along with his crew, Gerwin and Oscar. Jet adds pizzazz wherever he goes.
Open Mic at Nacho Daddy stars the illustrious Mr. Mark Hartman, who will host this evening’s lineup with the help of Captain Lydia, who organizes and coordinates the roster. Vallarta’s visiting superstars flock to Nacho Daddy to promote their performances around town and/or just sit and enjoy the food and atmosphere. It is usually a terrific show, and there is no cover charge. Doors open at 7, and the fun and games unravel at 7:30. See you there and everywhere From Here.
Wednesday
Patrice and I spent hours and very little money at the tianguis at Coapinole. All I need is a lifetime of days off to deal with the amount of sewing projects that are piling up. To give you an example of the bargains, I paid 10 pesos for a new Tommy Bahama men’s shirt.
Subsequent stops at Costco and La Comer made up for any savings made in Coapinole! But we had fun, and that was the whole point. One of my favorite vendors made his way through the crowd to tell me his prices on his four or five different tables, then waited patiently as we waded our way over there, perusing the 10 pesos and three pieces for 20 pesos tables. The veggies were fabulously fresh.
We had a lovely walk in the evening through downtown to the Galeria Browne for the O & A Gay Mixer. It was my first time in the small, well-curated gallery; I was taken by two completely different artists – one a photographer with a penchant for gold leaf and the other a collage artist from Guadalajara. David Browne and Santiago Redmond were perfect hosts; I was grateful to Jerry Jones, the publisher of O & A magazine, who kindly introduced us.
At Browne Galeria, we saw Robert Ryan, Martin Methot (who we saw later at Open Mic at Nacho Daddy), and David Sabella looked tanned and relaxed. A couple of good-looking young men from Studs Bar on Basilio Badillo set up in a corner and made cocktails; thanks, Mike Owens, for lending some eye candy!
After an hour of interesting conversation (I LOVE these mixers!), Patrice and I left and slowly walked over to Nacho Daddy for the last Open Mic of the season. The Malecon was busy with people lining up along its edge, waiting for the sun to drop into the sea.
At Nacho Daddy, things were quieter than usual as the season winds down. Pianist Mark Hartman emceed for Gouda Gabor, who was home packing for her return to Vancouver Island for the summer. Cate Valcic took Lydia Damato’s place and organized the evening’s roster of singers and comedians.
Highlights of the evening included Delilah Beaucoup singing Annie Lennox and promoting her upcoming show, “Sweet Dreams,” at Coco Cabaret on April 18 at 8 pm. If last night was any indication, the show will be a hit, so get tickets fast before they sell out. Another Vallarta favorite, 12-year-old Angeloo, brought tears with his sweet rendition of Lady Gaga’s “I’ll Never Love Again.” He puts so much of himself into every song he sings; I am looking forward to hearing him as he grows out of childhood. He will be a heartbreaker, for sure!
Phillip Officer from New York collaborated with Mark Hartman, Gene Berube, and Gabe Arciniega sang, as did Mark and Cate Valcic. Dashs Robles played guitar, and dear Janathan Rios made sure all the lights and sounds were functioning beautifully.
Today, being the first Wednesday of the month, our Scrabble Tournament starts at 12:30 sharp. Sharon Gerber Scherer is back from the US and will be participating. May the best quine win!
This afternoon, Tonny Kenneth and Diego Guerrero team up again at La Catrina Cantina at 5 pm for the first time in ages. The Second “We Are Puerto Vallarta” Annual Awards take place at Coco Cabaret at 7, with the after-party continuing the festivities at El Granero.
I am so happy things are slowing down From Here!
Thursday
What a lovely concert yesterday at La Catrina Cantina with two old friends, Diego Guerrero and Tonny Kenneth, reviving their show from Incanto. Very close to a full-house enjoyed some original tunes from Tonny, some Spanish language ballads from Diego, and soaring harmonies in a couple of duets that gave me delicious shivers.
Then Tonny took the mike and out popped a famous aria, “O Mio Babbino Caro” from Puccini’s most obscure opera. Wow! What a shocking departure! And Tonny sang it beautifully.
Patrice and I left La CC shortly afterward to make our way to Coco Cabaret for the Second Annual “We are Puerto Vallarta” Awards ceremony. Hosted by Jamie Alexander and Jessy Ruiz, the event flowed like honey on the stage draped in festive balloons.
Jamie explained the origins of the awards from PVRPV’s thousands of rental guests and told the SRO audience that over 100,000 individual votes were cast overall this year. Some category winners were decided by a single vote! Thus, a reminder that every single ballot is essential.
Entertainment was provided by Diva, a tripled dancing/singing/tasseled and sequined delight, joined by the Voice of Drag, Ada Vox.
Many nominees were in the audience and were given their awards live, including Lisa Manoogian and Billy Pilawski, whose joint championing of the RISE Children’s Shelter won them the Volunteers of the Year award. Francie Nguyen was chosen as the favorite Business Owner with outstanding contributions to our community. Victor DiMercurio accepted the Best Venue award on behalf of the Palm Cabaret and Bar, and Cassandra Shaw won again for favorite jewelry store. Another repeat winner for the second year in a row was pianist extraordinaire Mark Hartman. Amy Armstrong won for favorite live performance in a group, and Effie Passero and Diego Guerrero were winners in the Solo category.
Other victors included Thrive Med Spa, Old Town Market in Parque Lazaro Cardenas, and Chef Charlie from his fabulous Vietnamese Restaurant, Let’s Pho! Miss Conception, in her 25th year in show biz, won for favorite touring drag queen. Galeria Dante took first for favorite Art Gallery, and Pavlova for Best Bakery.
The award for the single most influential person in Puerto Vallarta went to Pamela Thompson, whose work helping people in need of medical assistance is legendary in the city. This shout-out is long overdue; congratulations, Pam!
Patrice and I are going to Nacho Daddy tonight at 8 pm to see Don and Rhonda in Pop Can; her for the first time, me for the second. Join us for oldies from Canadian songwriters and singers with a full band and a night full of musical nostalgia From Here.
Friday
It’s the weekend! That’s actually kinda funny to get excited about, but in our tourist town, we genuinely try our hardest to make every day feel like a weekend. From the look of my schedule, it seems we are quite successful in achieving that goal. On the agenda are Dabit and Ale tonight at Casita & Garden, followed by a fun-filled First Saturday tomorrow at the Arte Vallarta Museo. Then, we have a delightful brunch planned at Hacienda San Angel on Sunday. To top it all off, I think we will try to get seats for Chris Lopez’s fabulous Sam Smith Tribute at Coco on Sunday night; Patrice has enjoyed one of Chris’s tributes to Sam Smith, but it was at The Palm. I will be sure to provide a full report on those weekend shenanigans come Monday morning!
Last night, we headed to Nacho Daddy for Don and Rhonda’s third presentation of Pop Can. We indulged in delicious nachos and guacamole while being immersed in our country’s burgeoning explosion of “Canadian Content.” It’s hard to believe that this artistic movement had to be legislated by the Federal Government back in the early 1970s by none other than Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. The outpouring of Canadian talent since that time has been astounding, and legendary figures like Joni Mitchell and k.d. lang are cherished and celebrated all over the world.
Don Pope and Rhonda Padmos, two incredibly talented Canadian musicians who have particular ties to our lovely Puerto Vallarta, were the house band at Act2PV for many years. They produced the music for one of the very first productions at that theater, the Rocky Horror Show, which had its beginnings at The Palm Cabaret while we eagerly awaited the completion of the theater’s walls! Their contributions didn’t stop there; they went on to produce a gorgeous tribute to Joni Mitchell and continue to create beautiful music that resonates deeply with audiences. Every now and then, they come out of retirement to share with us the songs that not only shaped their careers but also represent a large part of every Canadian’s musical heritage.
Once again, the owner of Nacho Daddy, the incredibly talented Sean Moore, with his rich, bluesy voice, growled his way through “Spinning Wheel,” a classic hit by Blood, Sweat, and Tears, and one of the best bands to ever emerge from the Old Country! It was a night filled with nostalgia and a wonderful appreciation for the incredible talents that have come from Canada, cleverly intertwined with the delightful atmosphere of our local community. Pop Can’s next show is a Sunday matinee at 3 pm, April 6.
Have a super weekend, Vallarta, and we will play catch up Monday morning. Just a head’s up, watch for VallartaCalendar.com’s Newsletter out Wednesday for some 2 x 1 theater ticket sales. Use VC daily to find out exactly when and where the finest entertainment in town is happening From Here.
