Recap: Good Morning, From Here, April 19 – 25
Monday
Oh, my house is quiet now. Bogie and I keep bumping into little pieces of evidence that Patrice was living with us for three weeks, but she is back in Canada and will be reunited with her beloved kitties and her house sometime this afternoon. She was a Flight Angel for seven dogs who were like angels themselves, according to my sister, who had one adorable puppy with her in-cabin. Thankfully the extensive paperwork was handled swiftly and without a hitch on both sides of the flight.
With Easter now behind us, we are all looking forward to – and desperately need – a bit of a break. Time to catch our collective breaths and rest for a week or so, catch up on important things like laundry, then prepare for the whirlwind that is Pride then we all go crazy again. The excitement in the air is palpable, it’s a time for unity, love, and vibrant expression, reminding us all of the importance of acceptance and joy in our lives. The parade has been growing and getting better and better each year, and it is one of the highlights of my year, which is already packed with great entertainment.
Delilah Beaucoup’s Tribute to Annie Lennox and the Eurythmics opened last week and will be reprised on Friday the 25th, 8 pm, at Coco Cabaret.
Produced by Jordon Carnegie, the tribute underlined the social consciousness and the great humanitarian works of Scottish-born Annie Lennox, who was a strong, clear feminist voice in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.
Delilah is one of the hardest-working entertainers in Vallarta. She tirelessly promotes herself and her cast members at every available opportunity – on social media and in the city, popping up in costume, hands full of promotional flyers, and sincere invitations to attend her performances.
And then there are the powerful Lennox lyrics delivered clearly and cleanly by Beaucoup, her vocal range almost an exact match for her idol.
Onstage as delightful backup singers are Stephanie Wright Watts and Patriz Fomitchev, both of them headliners with a combination of voices akin to a choir.
Another welcome addition, besides the dancers, is Paul Lions Sellerier, who plays guitar and sings duets with Delilah. He is another of those fine, versatile musicians in Vallarta who could (and seems to!) work every night of the week in a different production. He is a treasure and a close associate of Producer Jordon, the brilliant lead in Hedwig and the Angry Inch rock musical.
“Sweet Dreams” are indeed made of this: do not miss the next and last show celebrating the genius of Annie Lennox this Friday at Coco Cabaret.
Patrice and I stopped at Awaysis briefly to listen to Yoalli Guerrero Ortiz (Jordon Carnegie’s costar in Hedwig) headline Las Mambas, Vallarta’s only all-girl rock ‘n’ roll band. She is a joy to watch and can sing anything and make you sit up and notice.
Join me tomorrow for a recap of Mau Jimenez’s Tribute to Bruce Springsteen From Here.
Tuesday
I didn’t go to the Bruce Springsteen Tribute because I am a fan of the music; not at all. I barely recognized four songs. I knew of “The Boss’s” appeal in an abstract way, a singer for the midline workers, especially guys. I am thinking truckers, janitors, etc. Not my style. But I had heard Mau Jimenez sing at a Vallarta Girls School fundraiser at Los Mangos Library a couple of months back, and something in his voice caught my ear, and I commented on it with singer Kevin Anthony. We both agreed there was something special we had not heard before from him. I don’t recall what Mau sang, but I jumped at the chance to hear him in concert to listen again to see if that specialness was still there. It was. It is. It’s called Bruce Springsteen.
Mau looked the part – tight white tee shirt, headband, and blue jeans -calm, sexy, and in control. Except when he lost the microphone – you had to have been there.
Mau’s exceptional band – Edgar Bernache, piano (who uncharacteristically grinned with joy from ear to ear throughout much of the concert); Paul Lions Sellerier, guitar, rocked and smiled alongside Edgar; Gabriel Morelio on drums – wowza; and Jared Garcia González, the busiest bass guitarist in Vallarta, were all superb and looked like they were having a blast.
Mau pulled surprise after surprise – I had no idea he played the piano, and I had no idea Bruce Springsteen wrote such tender, sweet ballads that Mau relayed to us gently and straight from his heart.
Born in Puebla, Mau joined his sister Eva here in Vallarta five or so years ago. The two of them played at Incanto often and convinced their mom and oldest brother Alejandro to join them on this side of Mexico. We are so glad they did. We enjoyed “Art Convention,” a hilarious one-man show presented by Alejandro, the eldest; Pink: ‘Get the Party Started,’ Concert Experience currently playing at Coco Cabaret and starring Eva, the baby in the family. Now we have Mau, the middle child, coming into his own with the Bruce Springsteen kick-ass, rock ‘n’ roll Tribute.
A very justifiably proud mother sat in the audience.
I went into the show as a Mau fan and came out cheerfully humming, “Born in the USA!” Get to his final performance this Thursday at the Palm Cabaret at 5 pm. You can thank me later, From Here.
Wednesday
My last foray out of the house was Easter Sunday night when I saw Johnny Naoufal in his final show for the season at Coco Cabaret. Miss Butterfly flew onto the stage encased in volumes of a Bill Mackie-worthy gown of black fabric festooned with sequins and a headdress that sparkled in the lights and must have been a challenge to keep on her head with the weight of it. As Johnny’s Cher burst forth in song, layers of clothing came off, wigs changed with the number, two fine-looking dancers, Alejandro and Sebastian, hit their stride, and we were off into the mad, mad world of drag.
Johnny was born in Beirut, Lebanon, which makes him as exotic as a rare cat. I spent some months in that city – which is remarkably similar to Vallarta in many ways, a decade before he was born. His language skills are fierce – Arabic, French, English, and another 15 more, or so I read. He has lived in Montreal, Canada, for more than 30 years and has been doing drag for 25.
He has one of those mercurial faces that change in a heartbeat, and he has clearly studied the women he portrays on stage in minute detail and has their mannerisms down pat. But what his women likely don’t do in real life sets Johnny’s shows apart from others.
He races through the audience (in those high heels!), climbing over chairs and people, engaging everybody within grasping range to be a part of the show. He invited Mikel Alvarez, owner of ThrIVE Med Spa, and one of his sponsors for a little dance onstage. Then, Mikel deftly tucked a syringe (Botox, mayhaps?) into Butterfly’s bosom and left the stage smiling from ear to ear.
Not in her usual drag, local celebrity and French-Canadian Wendy Warhol made a surprise visit with a martini, flowers, and a song celebrating Johnny’s last show in Vallarta.
From the frenetic dancing of Tina Turner to the serenity of Celine Dion, I was swept into Miss Butterfly’s amazingly colored world, fringed with laughter and much, much love from the audience to the stage and vice versa.
People who know me understand my deep affection (affliction?) for fabric, so I thoroughly loved each and every one of the more than 20 costume changes that were done quickly and spectacularly. (Johnny’s excess baggage fees must be enormous.) Maybe she will allow me to be backstage during one of her shows next season; how I would love to see some of these creations up close and touchable.
Until your next migration, Miss Butterfly, enjoy your summer away From Here.
Thursday
The only problem with writing a daily, Monday to Friday column, is that you have to do stuff that people may actually want to read about. With the current entertainment situation in Vallarta, with all the venues scaled back somewhat for the off-season (with an upcoming blip for Pride Week), there is not much new to see. That being said, EVERYTHING still on the roster is worth seeing again, and I just might do that.
For now, however, I am luxuriating in the extra time on my hands, tending to things I have ignored since the fall, like working in my garden.
It’s tiny. A wee patio that’s dark until summertime when it gets full-blown sun, and the tiles are so bloody hot my bare feet have to toughen up, and they do as I hop around finding leaf-shade spots that are 10 degrees cooler at least.
There are old vines in a couple of built-in planters that surround the patio on three sides. They creep up the side of the hotel, which forms one wall, and fall down one other side over a brick wall, into my neighbor’s yard way down below.
So, I have a square of space that’s small, and now Bogie-escape-proof, and I love it because it’s all the outdoor space I have.
Right now, it’s heaped with old, dead vines and bougainvillea pieces I keep stepping on (yeeouch!) that have to be reduced to baggable bits. That will take a full day that I don’t have yet but I feel it’s coming.
Once I get the floor space tidy, I can start cleaning my two Egyptian carpets that I bought years ago at the great Hotel Bazaar ‘Aguilar’ up by the Vallarta Tribune’s old offices in Lomas de Coapinole.
And, I have an over-full rack of clothing that needs attention. There are dozens of pieces – fabulous finds from the tianguis – and not one I can wear without alterations. They wait for me daily. Their presence hovers behind me, just hanging on the rolling rack, haunting me as I ignore them all, typing away and not having time to fix a single one.
I can’t not buy them. Most of these lovelies cost me ten pesos and many are worth thousands and thousands of pesos – I shamelessly “Google Lens” the labels and sometimes find the exact dress. That makes me smug for the rest of the day. But for now, they sit. And wait. And judge me.
Thanks for the therapeutic session. My compulsive procrastination and buying habits feel somewhat eased. I am off to Versalles this afternoon for another Out & About Puerto Vallarta magazine’s Gay Mixer at El Rey Lounge on Viena from 6 to 8 pm. Join me there From Here.
Friday
I have to get to Versalles more often. This neighborhood is up and coming, as they say, with trendy restos and bars on every street. Viena is no exception, and El Rey held court last night for Out & About Puerto Vallarta’s premiere magazine, which hosted a Gay Mixer from 6 to 9 pm. O & A’s staff was out in force, with Oscar shooting photos of folks sporting crowns and sitting in the big black throne right at the entryway to the lounge.
Gerwin Rutten mingled in a number of languages, and owner, editor, and publisher Jerry Jones oversaw and ensured all went well.
A DJ kept the tunes rolling at the back of the restaurant/bar in a patio full of happy drinkers. A table laden with meat and cheese smelled divinely of smokey summer barbeque for which El Rey is becoming famous around town.
The interior of the lounge is dark, with an inviting divan-dominated corner by the stairs going up to the kitchen where it’s possible to escape the music and hubbub and enjoy a conversation – which I did! An old friend from Vancouver Island, who I have known for years, walked by El Rey and decided to pop in; Kay Nash lives only a few blocks away. What a surprise to see her come in as I was heading out! We sat in that delicious corner for a good half an hour, catching up on our respective lives and making plans to get together soon. Look for Kay’s writings and brilliant photographs coming soon to Vallarta Mirror!
Owners Laurence and Reanna are a warm and friendly couple offering not just great food but live entertainment, food specials like slow-roasted brisket and tacos, cocktail-making classes, Ladies’ Nights, and much more spread between their two restaurants – El Rey and The Office, which is located close by on Francia. Check VallartaCalendar.com for details. Be sure to drop by both locations on May 5th, to celebrate El Rey’s first and The Office’s second anniversaries!
A great big grand opening is happening this weekend; come on back next week for major coverage and a load of photographs, From Here.
