Recap: Good Morning, From Here, November 02 – 08
Monday
Welcome back to the land of the Living after three straight days and nights wallowing in Death’s brightly lit dark side.
What a party on the Isla Cuale last Friday afternoon and evening. Non-stop music from 4 pm on began with La Bohemia Quartet, whose Gipsy Kings-type music drew dozens of people walking around the gaily decorated restored green space. Altars, bars, food stands, and candle-lit walkways covered the Island in the third annual Festival Isla de los Muertos, chaired this year by Suzanne Fontaine. Proceeds collected will benefit the Vallarta Garden Club and Vallarta Cares that continues to serve the community in more ways than feeding the hungry at the Food Bank. Both organizations are worthy across the board and depend on donations to survive. Please give them money to continue making Vallarta more beautiful and keep citizens fed and protected.
The ever-delightful Kevin Anthony emceed flawlessly and joined Eddie Passaro for a duet late in the evening. Sound and light – Hueco Colectivo skillfully managed a daunting task outside for eight straight hours. You know them from their dazzling work at the Palm Cabaret.
Duo Xochiquetzal with Jacob on guitar and vocals by Isa(bel) continued with traditional Mexican songs with their own interpretations to a delighted crowd.
The Pleasant Uprising added some color and funk to the mix in two languages. Steven Retchless, as his alter ego Stevie Hart, continued in Spanish with La Llorona and orchestrated a conga line from the stage.
Sargento and Maestro Bing Young on piano started with a singalong of Oklahoma, which has become Sargento’s signature song (and will remain embedded in your brain for days).
Gloria Fiona has invited Adele to come to town to see her Tribute show in January at Teatro Vallarta. Stranger things have happened, and wouldn’t that be something?
Best friends in life and onstage, Effie Passaro (Francesca Bavaro) and Alison Lo, sang duets and solos and had the crowd on their feet dancing, applauding, and singing along.
I heard Luis Villanueva’s wonderful voice from across the Island and unfortunately could not stay for Bobbi Goddard and Diego Guerrero.
What a great way to celebrate ancestors and our beloved Mexico; be it for a week or a lifetime. Bravos and kudos go to Sunny Rossi, President of the Vallarta Garden Club, all volunteers, performers, and the 1200 attendees. And the best, for last, is the sponsor of the third annual Isla de los Muertos, Georgia Darehshori, chief entertainment officer of Casa Karma.
Patrice and I, Sandra Bradley, and Georgia Darehshori joined a host of people at the Arte Vallarta Museo’s First Saturday of the Month fiesta. It was lovely to see and visit with a bunch of newly returned snowbirds. You have no idea how much your energy is missed when you all head north for the summer. So, welcome back with open arms and great big hugs.
Join me tomorrow morning for reviews of Effie Passero’s birthday party at La Catrina Cantina and Renee Armand’s concert at Act2PV, From Here.
Tuesday
Francesca Bavaro (Effie Passero) celebrated her birthday early (November 09), as she is leaving Vallarta soon to cut her first solo album in Nashville, tentatively titled Francesca. Afterward, she will join her band, Postmodern Jukebox for a North American Tour. Her next solo performance in town will be in March of next year. So, she was saying goodbye for a while, with much gratitude to the jam-packed-to-the-rafters crowd at La Catrina Cantina.
We were treated to a medley of love-gone-wrong-songs she wrote, still smarting from open wounds and threatening to do a PowerPoint presentation naming names next time! She is inadvertently hilarious.
She looked absolutely fabulous in red tulle and sky-high glittery heels and took some time away from the piano to sing a couple of my faves to tracks – Never Enough from The Greatest Showman and Nessun Dorma from Turandot. I will keep you apprised of where she is as we watch her star rise higher and higher, right where she belongs.
We couldn’t stay for cake and the promised stripper (ahem) as we had a date at Act2 for the remarkable Renee Armand with the brilliant Mark Hartman on piano and back-up vocals.
Renee is one of those beguiling singers who reaches into your heart early in a performance and settles in comfortably, lulling the audience into an ether-filled space where she will let you sit with her for a while. The connection is one-on-one and heart-to-heart, captivating. I have never heard Mark Hartman, pianist and musical director, play more delicately. A repeat performance with these two HAS to happen this season – it was enchantment.
Speaking of witchery, it is alive and well and performing at The Palm. Miss Uchawi, Queen of Magic, from Las Vegas, premiered her first show in Mexico last night.
Oh, people. You gotta see this girl work a room.
The problem with writing about magic is it doesn’t matter what words I use; even if I could carefully and perfectly put into words what I saw, you wouldn’t be any further ahead, and you wouldn’t believe me anyway!
Miss Uchawi started out slowly, seemingly feeling her way through her act, hesitating here and there just long enough to make you wonder what the hell was going on. Without hesitation, I can tell you exactly what was going on – magic. That’s it, that’s all. No trickery. No. Just magic.
Get to The Palm and see her, and hurry before she disappears in a puff of smoke From Here.
Wednesday
On the agenda: Scrabble Tourney, Bingo, and the Opening Night of Vaude-Villains this evening at Act2. Restful compared to yesterday’s offerings that began at the crack of 8:30, shopping in Coapinole for a few choice pieces of clothing and a stop at my fave seed store for flax and chia.
I wanted Patrice to see Buenos Aires – A Tango Murder Mystery at The Palm. I saw the Sebastian Coronel production on Opening Night a few weeks ago and was impressed then, but I was blown away by the improvements and tweaks in the storyline. The football portion has been expanded – so fun; I swear I could see the ball passing between the three players. Tango is serious dancing with zero frivolity for the most part, so truly enjoyed the portrayal of the other Argentine passion! If you love exquisite, precision dance, Buenos Aires should be at the top of your list of shows to see.
Patrice and I hung around after Buenos Aires, walked to Zumo to peruse the menu and plan our next dinner there, had a quick tour of the now-open, gorgeous Tryst Hotel down the street from Zumo, and returned to The Palm to line up with a close to sold-out house for the Opening Night Tribute to Michael Bublé.
What a triumph for Armando Chakam in his first solo show. With help from Matt Karimi and Chris Lopez, the production value bar was set as high as it could go. With a Big Roxsand Band led by Musical Director Alexis Macias – eight musicians onstage with two backup singers and two dancers. The whole package was picture-perfect. Armando’s voice with that kinda scratchy Rod Stewart longing behind the notes and the sweetness of his gentle personality oozed out of every pore and filled the Palm with love, tenderness, and a soft joy that lingered for hours afterward.
Armando was presented with a surprise bouquet of sunflowers at the end of his show – an appropriate choice to celebrate a concert full of sunniness and light. I think if Michael Bublé had been in the house, he would have delivered the flowers himself From Here.
Thursday
I forgot to mention a delicious thing yesterday! While supplies lasted, guests seeing Bueno Aires: A Tango Murder Mystery at the Palm Cabaret were gifted a small brown paper bag containing two Argentine-style empanadas. Patrice and I enjoyed ours, which were stuffed with corn. Fabulous and fitting, a lovely, savory touch!
Patrice and I bumped into Buenos Aires star Sebastian Coronel outside of the new Coco Cabaret, which is still under construction but slated to open a week from today; he gave us a quick tour. A couple of his Boys on Fire productions will move into Coco from the Palm Cabaret. So exciting!
Scrabble went well. I maintained the rickety crown for another month. Bingo could have been better. Nobody won a thing at our table except the dogs and cats of Vallarta. Colina Spay and Neuter Clinic has sterilized over 12,000 animals in a dozen years; Colina Bingo will be back at Nacho Daddy on November 20 at 4 pm.
The Season Opener of Vaude-Villians hit the boards at Ovations Piano Bar at Act2PV last night, starring Cate Valcic’s vocals and David Maiocco on piano and backup vocals. A full house enjoyed the complimentary Opening Night nibblies.
Ribald humor, Sophie Tucker jokes, a few Bette Midler and Barry Manilow tunes, and young adult reminiscences of Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio filled the eclectic set list with laughter and song.
The international Fiesta de Cabaret opens tomorrow at Act2PV. Get subscription details and more information at VallartaCalendar.com – see you there From Here!
Friday
When I really need pasta it’s time for Il Pesce, the tiny Sicilian restaurant on Constitucion. I always have the same thing, and it is always perfect – handmade fettuccine with various mushrooms and truffle oil. A friend once said it was like eating God’s Earth. Rapturous.
Four dear friends met over said pasta and a bottle of wine last night. My sister Patrice and I catching up with Rob Burton and Jan Dorland on their epic 2 1/2 month-long summer vacay. A couple of hours flew into the night, and our plans to go to La Catrina Cantina early to get a table for Kevin Anthony’s show abruptly changed when we did a time-check.
Hugs, kisses, and leftovers went one way outside Il Pesce. Patrice and I headed home in the opposite direction.
We ended up outside La Catrina Cantina and decided to poke our heads in, and voila! Like magic, one table was left just for us on the dance floor! Of course, we stayed to listen, enjoyed the busy bar, ate the best popcorn in the city, and were hugged and kissed by the most welcoming staff in Vallarta.
So many entertainers and their supporters were in the house. Kevin sang a gorgeous duet with Gloria Fiona, Someone Like You, to honor Gloria’s upcoming Tribute to Adele at Teatro Vallarta in January.
There is a lot to do this weekend; check VallartaCalendar.com to help you decide where to go. If you see me, I am collecting birthday hugs. See you back here bright and early Monday morning From Here.
