Recap: Good Morning, From Here, November 22 -28
Monday
Happy one month to Christmas! A sobering thought that includes winter and New Year’s Eve mere weeks away. The only sad part about it is that my sister Patrice will be back in Canada, happily with her menagerie, dealing with the snow and cold.
We celebrate each trip she makes to Mexico with a bus ride south of Vallarta to the Botanical Garden and to visit with Bob Price, the founder and curator, and a dear friend for 20 years, since the Garden’s inception. He joined our table for a rare and cherished hour or so.
I finally got to see the repository of the 300+ books Madeline Milne hauled off for me last month. The Living Room Bookstore and Cafe is sitting pretty on Calle Colombia 1377 at Guatemala, less than half a block from the bus stop. The classy, deep gray exterior with bright yellow striped awnings sets the tone for an inviting interior full of books, of course, and all kinds of other small, hard-to-find specialty items, great for gifts and for you!
Madeline’s partner, Jose, has devoted himself to learning about coffee and made me an espresso with an intricate flavor as complicated as a fine mezcal. I took home a small bag of the ‘honey coffee’ from Oaxaca. The LRBS gets its coffee roasted to their specifications a couple of times a month, just a few doors down at Cafe Oro Verde.
A few bistro tables are strewn about the two main rooms, walled with books, and invite conversation with a companion or a deep dive into a gently pre-read Lee Child to make sure you haven’t read that one before you buy it. There is a small open-to-the-sky garden where you can enjoy a light breakfast, a pastry from Oh Croissant (French and Fabulous!), a sandwich, or a smoothie. Charlie cheerfully serves everything. Wandering through all of this is darling Cora(zon), Madeline’s dog, who is happy to lie by your feet and be adored. Clearly pet-friendly, and with free WiFi. Remember, the Living Room Bookstore is open every day but Monday from 8 am to 4 pm. Buy or trade your books, and keep your eyes open for special events coming to their 5 de diciembre location. If you are in the Marina, stop by Calle Timon by the lighthouse and check out the original.
Are you a fan of Celine Dion’s voice? If that’s a resounding yes, then get over to The Palm Cabaret every Friday at 5 pm to listen to Mariana Vigueras in a sincere tribute to the Canadian superstar. In my opinion, Mariana has a better voice than her heroine, reaching those signature high notes with utter ease and without a trace of strain. With some work, this show could be as iconic as the Lady Gaga or Beyonce Tributes, both of which currently sell out weekly at The Palm Cabaret.
Sam Smith Tribute at Coco Cabaret tomorrow at 9 pm. Join me for this Chris Lopez smash hit, From Here.
Tuesday
My agenda today looks like a shopping list to stock the QE2: the tianguis in Coapinole first thing, followed by a stop at the great charity-driven Hotel Bazaar in Lomas de Coapinole. Then Costco, La Comer, come home, see our friends off, nap, I have a meeting at Sandra’s house at 5, followed by the Gay Mixer at Daiquiri Dicks, Open Mic at Nacho Daddy, and ending the evening at Coco Cabaret for the brilliant Sam Smith Tribute starring Chris Lopez. My favorite part of all of the above is the smallest word and most important element – n a p. If you can do that, you can do anything!!!
Four of us met up for a late breakfast at Langostinos on the beach. Omelets all around, Patrice’s and mine, vegetarian, made with chile poblanos rather than an assortment of bell peppers (ugh). And remember, a percentage of all sales goes to Colina Spay and Neuter Free Clinic, a charity dedicated to sterilizing 20 cats and dogs every Saturday, co-founded by Lagostino’s owner, Colette Zarry. You can help with that noble mission by also joining us at Nacho Daddy tomorrow for Bingo. We have a lot of fun, the prizes are excellent, and the cause couldn’t be more critical. Ball caller Lydia Damato holds court over the proceedings, which begin promptly at 4 pm. See you there right after Scrabble at Qulture.
Amy Armstrong’s concert at Nacho Daddy last weekend turned into an intimate salon with guitarist Mimi accompanying her voice precisely with his quiet, reassuring elegance.
Amy had us in stitches as she related a story about Bear Week last year here in Vallarta. Something she saw on the street next door at Studs Bar. I won’t repeat it because if she ever tells it again, I would hate to be the one who ruined the punchline. You cannot make this stuff up. It was one laughing jag after another, set off by her wonderfully odd sense of humor. But it is Amy’s voice we came to hear – powerful, yes, but she has an undercurrent of vulnerability that gives her voice a touch of honey-color. I am looking forward to future shows with Mark Hartman on piano and Amy singing with Sargento Dan, who can be heard twice a week at Garbo’s Bar.
Another event to look forward to and buy tickets before it is sold out! On December 13, is Frida X at Casa Yvonneka overlooking the city, high on the mountainside on Calle Hortensia. This annual fundraiser supports Puppy Paradise, a dog shelter started years ago by Hungarian-born Yvonne Kalman. Her last wish before she passed away earlier this month in Los Angeles was for this gala party to go forward without her. What an excellent way to support this woman’s vision. The evening will be full of an abundance of food and drink, entertainment, laughter, camaraderie, and dancing under the stars. Yvonne adored throwing this party, certainly one of the best of the year, and opening up her home to friends and supporters. Learn more at VallartaCalendar.com
See you back here in the morning, From Here.
Wednesday
Coapinole gave up loads of treasures for both Patrice’s and my closets yesterday. Patrice is so very good about rotating her clothes and donating things she has worn to her heart’s content, so she has room in her closet for new things. I can’t say the same. I overflowed my closet over a year ago and have jury-rigged four or five clothing racks with bungee cords and duct tape to try to contain my love (addiction?) for fabric. Chiffon doesn’t take up a lot of space or, at least, it didn’t use to. Now…?
There is a great second-hand hotel bazaar/store in Lomas de Coapinole about a mile away from where the tianguis take place every Tuesday morning. If you need a coffee maker, toaster, iron, bedding, hotel furniture, small refrigerators, etc., you cannot beat the prices, and the proceeds go to charity, so it’s a win-win situation.
I bumped into Jerry Jones last night on the street. He was coming from Daiquiri Dick’s, where he had been for his Gay Mixer, sponsored by his magazine, Out and About Puerto Vallarta. I was on my way there to peruse the crowd (at 300 people when I arrived), pick up my sister Patrice, and head over to Nacho Daddy for Open Mic. An impressive list of celebrities is back in town for the season, including New York City choreographer, Kim La Rue, whose follies shows are always a hit. Nick Dorado hosted Open Mic; he is in town briefly and was in fine form with a Sugar and Booze-themed song in honor of the upcoming holidays. Happy Thanksgiving to our American expats and visitors, a day early. You can find a list of restaurants that are serving traditional turkey dinners tomorrow at VallartaCalendar.com.
Sharon Gerber Scherer made her Open Mic debut last night, singing a Tom Jones number that contained a subtle bump and grind. She is missing Scrabble today, switching hats from Quine to Producer of Chicago, the Musical. She will be back next week for our monthly Tournament, and we shall see which hat she wears out of Qulture on December 3rd!
Another favorite at Open Mic was Mau Jimenez with his guitar, promoting his fabulous Bruce Springsteen tribute at The Palm every Saturday at 5 pm. Word is spreading fast about Mau’s high-powered vocals, backed by a better-than-E-Street-Band.
Karen Parker and Diana Frances gave us a taste of their upcoming comedy, ‘Leave it to Cleavage – the Breast is Yet to Come,’ at Arte Vallarta Theatre, this Friday at 8 pm. I believe Diana said their Opening Night was sold out, but check with VallartaCalendar.com for other dates to feast your eyes on these two hilarious throwbacks to June Cleaver clutching her pearls.
Tomorrow, come back for the Sam Smith Tribute review. How I love you, Chris Lopez, From Here.
Thursday
Live entertainment is fraught with danger, which is why it’s so compelling. A dozen things can go wrong and often do, which can bring a superstar down to the level of a mere fan who is sitting in the audience, both wondering wtf happened to the microphone.
When all the elements come together, however, that’s when live entertainment Magic happens. There are individuals in the arts who conjure magic and somehow scrape together all the components of what takes a show from good to great, sets it before you onstage like a feast for all your senses, and carries you away for an hour or so to a state of unadulterated bliss.
So goes the Sam Smith Tribute at Coco Cabaret. Produced by and starring Chris Lopez, this spectacular production combines Chris’s incredible vocal range with three ”backup singers” – Nacho Granados, Eva Jimenez, and Armando Chakam, each one stars of their own shows, come together like a well-rehearsed choir, leaving their egos at home and bringing harmonious melody to perfection behind the voice of their producer and great friend Chris Lopez. Even a cappella, their voices rise as one with not so much as a breath taken out of turn.
The dancers, well-choreographed, are all over the place, bodies glistening with sweat, athletic and robust, again surrounding their producer and great friend, Chris Lopez. They ramp up the pitch during Chris’s dramatic costume changes and flow around the videos being projected, which Chris Lopez also engineers and edits to perfection.
The hours and hours of rehearsals, costume fittings, the design of the lights, and getting the sound just right require so much time and so much cooperation in a field of easily bruised egos, Chris Lopez, in his many hats, stands head and shoulders above all the rest. He gives himself entirely in every performance, with unmatched brilliance in his artistry. Wherever his fingers wander, magic occurs. I have said it before: “If a show has a Chris Lopez Production tag on it, go.” It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a clue who Sam Smith is; you will when you leave Coco Cabaret. And you’ll be a forever-Chris-Lopez-fan with Sam Smith being incidental.
Happy First Birthday to The Social Club. The Speakeasy was crammed to its venerable rafters last night with well-wishers vying for a seat and a drink in this wildly popular bar on Basilio Badillo. JT Horenstein produced the birthday party, and I think he invited every entertainer in town! Patrice and I had seats reserved at the bar, thanks to owner Bryan Stocks, so we had a bird’s eye view of the dancing, singing, and mingling of the Puerto Vallarta movers and shakers.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating today. Be grateful for the abundance we have every single day and share it willingly, From Here.
Friday
The end of another week and month over these next couple of days; how was your Thanksgiving? Patrice and I talked about indulging in turkey with all the attendant goodies, but slid into some baked spaghetti from the air fryer instead. We get to keep our vegetarian badges for one more day!
The cheesy carb load was enough to get us over the two swinging bridges to Coco Cabaret for the Pink Tribute – Raise Your Glass – starring Eva Jimenez.
I was at the Pink debut this season and really wanted Patrice to see it. It is lovely to watch, snappy tunes throughout, terrific dancers, loads of acrobatics, and adding Woody Fox to the mix was brilliant. His enormous strength steadied Eva – a gentle touch of his hand to her foot stopped her spinning instantly. She was always aware of how far away the stage floor and safety were from her. I loved it too, that in the tradition of classic European male ballet dancers, Woody made himself as scarce as someone his size can, and let Eva shine.
As a performer and as Pink, Eva has grown enormously in her profession, and the construction of Coco Cabaret has undoubtedly helped her expand her physicality on the stage, something she could not do at The Palm Cabaret, where her Pink Tribute originated. She is also producing shows in collaboration with her friend and star of the Christina Aguilera Tribute, Losanna Diaz Avila. Together, this formidable team – LOVA – also produced Eva’s brother Mau’s tribute to Bruce Springsteen. (Patrice and I are going to see it again tomorrow at The Palm!)
And kudos to Josh Breau for getting Eva’s hair perfectly blond and styled yet again!
I have a root canal scheduled for noon today – lucky me, no? I plan to take the rest of the day off to rest after that and before our 8 pm laugh fest at Arte Vallarta Theatre up the hill at the top of Olas Altas. Karen Parker and Diana Frances star in Leave it to Cleavage – the Breast is Yet to Come. The premise seems to be that these two stuck-in-the-50s housewives have burst out of their time warp and are looking for ways to break into the dating scene here in Puerto Vallarta. Hmmm, I shall pay strict attention as all of us straight and single women know there are precisely zero numbers of available straight men to date in this town. (Could someone please start a Facebook page?) Perhaps Karen and Diana are bringing some tricks learned in Canada that they will share with the audience.
See you back here on Monday morning, December 01, when the countdown to the final Vallarta Mirror and Rearview Mirror begins in earnest. Over the weekend, you can find us at Mau’s Tribute to Bruce Springsteen, along with the kick-ass Olas Altas Street Band at The Palm tomorrow at 5 pm, and on Sunday, the gorgeous Adele Tribute, also at The Palm at the same time, starring Gloria Fiona, being backed by half of the musicians in Vallarta! It’s a stage full of talent. Hasta lunes, From Here.
