Recap: Good Morning, From Here, March 08 to 14
Monday
The curtain has closed on a wildly successful night at Teatro Vallarta for What a Drag. The show, which features straight men in drag, began 11 years ago in much smaller venues, and has grown to leave only a handful of tickets unsold at the 900-seat theater. Wow. What a night. The cleaning crew will be cursing glitter and confetti for days. The upside is over three million pesos were raised to help battered women and their children escape domestic violence.
Casa Esperanza Founder and Director David Zude, introduced the staff from the shelter and walked us through the process of helping the women and children restart their lives from the ground up. The kids occupy 75% of the space at Casa Esperanza. With David onstage was Freda Thompson, Chair of WAD and consummate fundraiser all these years. She was recognized publicly – finally! – by local governments for her long, unfailing service to the community. A street renamed in her honor would not be asking too much.
Seven straight men sang, lip-synced, danced, and – in keeping with the circus theme, clowned around onstage with their Fairy Drag Mothers anxiously waiting for them in the wings of Teatro Vallarta.
The emcee for the evening was Amy Armstrong, once again, broken arm and all. She had no trouble filling in the time lags when the show slowed backstage. Amy bantered with the audience and had us often screaming with laughter, most of the time at her own expense; the entire community of Vallarta dearly loves her.
I was Georgia Dareshori’s date for the evening; her private villa, Casa Karma, sponsored Dabit Azofeifa (Circoncierto, Saturnalia, Vacare). He blew kisses from the stage down to us in the front row. And while Dabit didn’t win, but is First Runner Up, he did a masterful performance onstage.
Poncho Loza Marquez, “Poncharella” won the tiara and What a Drag 2025 title. He channeled Tina Turner’s dancing abilities to a tee! I watched him towards the end of show, while the runners-up were being announced, shifting his weight from side to side, trying to relieve his foot pain in his dangerously high heels. The first thing he did when he won was kick the damn things off! Every woman in the audience could relate.
The entertainment between contestants was amazingly good, with Sargento and Steven Retchless pulling out all the stops. Former contestants Nachos Granados, Victor Do Espirito, and Diego Arreola sang solos, and Amy Armstrong teamed up with her guitarist ‘Mimi’ twice. You can catch their show weekly at Nacho Daddy, another proud sponsor of What a Drag.
The afterparty at La Catrina Cantina (that I wisely chose not to attend) likely went on to the early morning hours.
I am so grateful to be a part of this extraordinary company of people who participate somehow in these fundraisers. The tired old adage about it taking a village has never rung more true. Someone puts out a hand in need and is surrounded instantly by loving, compassionate ex-pats who give back to this lovely Mexican city that has adopted us all every single day.
To Freda Thompson, take a bow and a bouquet of thanks from the dozens and dozens of women and children you have directly and indirectly saved from often mortal danger. And for raising awareness, chairing WAD, and showing us how to get things done and then improving on them every year, From Here.
Tuesday
“Last evening, Sandy and I attended the first of 3 sold-out shows for the “BeeGees Revisited” tribute (formerly “The BeeGees Now”) at The Luna Lounge. The best tribute ever! The show was a massive hit, and the place was so packed we had to eat dinner in the bar and take a couple of chairs beside Julio at the soundboard. The voices and music were so well done that the crowd cheered after every song and danced in the aisles. I’m sure you will feel the same way when you see them on Tuesday. Of course, I plan to tour them in western Canada in the fall.”
That quote is from Merv Buchanan, Canadian impresario, the first person to bring tribute shows to Vallarta from the US and Canada. Our friendship began 12 years ago when we first met at A Page in the Sun over coffee. My editor at the time, from the now defunct Vallarta Tribune, Madeline Milne, asked me to join the two of them to brainstorm. I have covered almost every one of Merv’s shows since.
The penultimate show at Rancho Santiago will be tonight – the BeeGees brought to you by El Rio BBQ Bar. It’s not like Merv to rave about one of his groups, so I would say tonight is going to be a helluva concert! Kurt Sinner says that ticket sales were brisk, and he expects a sellout, so get on that, and we’ll see you in Paso Guayabo at 5:30.
I had a great lunch -again – at Let’s Pho, the Vietnamese restaurant on Parque Lazaro Cardenas. My lunch companion, Zhander P’ng, insisted I have whatever I wanted, so I started with carrot cake. It is made in-house and is spectacular! I then ordered a vegetarian pho and had to take most of it home due to the size of my, um, ‘appetizer.’ I have gotten to know Zhander better as we both go to Central Gym in the mornings. He is a wonderful writer as well as a concert pianist and wears many other hats. Look for his experience with Ayahuasca, which is coming soon to Vallarta Mirror. Many thanks to Charlie, owner of Let’s Pho, for hugs and terrific food.
Sandra Bradley, a VM columnist, and I walked over to Arte Vallarta Museo last Saturday for a reception/performance by a new artist, painter Felix D’eon, who is American, Mexican with Huichol ancestry on his mother’s side. That was what brought the crowd in to see. All beautifully costumed, two drummers and three dancers led us through some Wixárika historical rituals and dance. The exhibit in the gallery will run for the next couple of months.
The Non-Impact Aerobics class at the IFC Clubhouse on Sunday at noon, was the largest ever! Our teacher, Deborah Darr, gently took us through our 70-minute workout. There are three more classes before Deborah returns to Chicago.
After the BeeGees at Rancho Santiago, join me for Gouda Gabor’s Come Blow Your Horn, Open Mic at Nacho Daddy at 7:30 pm. It’s the best show in town From Here.
Wednesday
I saw a post from Hedwig herself – aka Jordon Carnegie – that their last show at The Palm Cabaret will be March 30. If you have not seen Hedwig and the Angry Inch, get thee hence in a hurry. It is one of the most brilliant performances ever in Vallarta.
I spent a couple of hours in the jungle at Rancho Santiago listening to the glorious harmonies of the BeeGees. The Canadian trio, Chris, Colum and Dave, portrayed the Brothers Gibb with style and speed delivering one superhit after another without a break. Wonderful for the dancers and to those of us who sat listening and recalling the whirlwind of memories that surround these iconic songs. There is just one more Tribute Tuesday for this season. Don’t miss Neil Diamond next week; Will Chalmers has been hailed as the closest thing to seeing Neil Diamond live in his prime. I will see you there!
The #4 bus dropped me a couple of blocks from Nacho Daddy and the start of Open Mic. I sat with two of my dearest friends, Rob Burton and Jan Dorland, and caught up somewhat, them over chili and me, French fries, as we waited for the sensational Gouda Gabor to kick things off. Mark Hartman accompanied most of the singers on piano, except for the odd track, and other illustrious pianists in the house like David Maiocco and Nico Rhodes. The latter did a mashup of Frederic Chopin and ragtime – wowza! Nico’s mom, Joelle Rabu, sang as did their protegee Buwa, a newcomer to Mexico via Canada and Nigeria. Patriz and Angeloo promoted their show in Nuevo Vallarta and Stephanie Wright Watts, hers, coming up at Act2PV. Gabe and Mark Hartman delighted the audience, Janathan Rios on sound and lights, and Lydia Damato formatted the entertainers and kept the show moving quickly to squeeze everyone in.
I am going to hear Robert Ryan this afternoon at Act2 in his first, highly anticipated solo show. Before that Scrabble, of course, it is Wednesday, at Qulture. Another fabulous Gay Mixer tomorrow from 6 to 8 at Bar Frida.
As season starts to wind down remember to take good care of our remaining tourists and help them any way you can. Pay it forward From Here.
Thursday
What a gift we were given last night in the Casa Karma Red Room at Act2PV. In his mid-sixties, Robert Ryan debuted in his show called Songs from the Heart. Although he was aware of brisk ticket sales, the look on his face when he took to the stage and saw a sea of familiar faces spread out before him, then looked up to more in the packed balcony, was at once fearful and splashed with hope. A full house.
He was momentarily stunned; I saw tears prick his eyes with the enormous finality after weeks of rehearsals of ‘this is really it.’ A couple of warbled notes caught in his throat, and then he confidently hit his stride. The entire concert was a quiet triumph.
Robert’s song choices were carefully curated, with about half nobody in the theater had ever heard before. The funniest was Alan Chapman’s “Everybody Wants to Be Sondheim But Me.” It was sung bombastically using every inch of Ryan’s larger-than-life operatic training. The lyrics are hilarious, and I can only guess how fun the stage play must be. (That’s a hint to somebody out there, btw!)
In a wonderful tongue-in-cheek comeback was a Rodgers and Hammerstein mashup that followed the Sondheim dismissal like a church choir busting into a Goth rave. It was brilliantly fused together and did become the singalong portion of the show.
Ryan’s storytelling was matter-of-fact, beginning with his overflowing love for his husband Martin, backtracking to his grandmother, of whom he spoke and sang with deep respect and carried us from Rhode Island to Vassar, to opera, Canada, and Puerto Vallarta.
Robert participated in the recent Fiesta de Cabaret held in November at Act2PV. The concept of teaching cabaret by some of the most successful people in the business was the brainchild of pianist and Musical Director extraordinaire Mark Hartman. Robert paid avid attention and bubbled over with news every time I saw him ‘after class.’ After nine days, he emerged as a different singer. He took everything he learned, studied hard, applied the major learning curves, and presented “Songs From The Heart” with aplomb, humility, and a soft strength that earned him two standing ovations. How I wish his teachers could have been in the audience; what an affirmation!
Live music supporter Georgia Darehshori held an afterparty for her dear friends Robert Ryan and husband Martin Methot at her condo and invited the entire theater to join in the fun.
There was live music. Michael Ferreri continued to play piano as he did for Robert’s show. He is an elegant pianist whose fingers literally dance on the piano to the cadence of the storyteller/singer. Seeing and hearing him again after a couple of years he spent abroad was delightful.
Georgia’s home was bursting at the seams with people congratulating Robert on his dreamy, warm embrace of a cabaret show. The fourth wall of Robert’s life has crumbled to dust, and he can now bring his heart to the stage and share it with each one of us. A gallant heart it is, From Here.
Friday
And poof! It’s the weekend again, and we are halfway through another month in 2025. Spring arrives next week, and with it, tons of young, lively Spring Breakers expected to inject over 5k USD each into our economy. Seems like a great deal of money for a student.
I had all kinds of plans yesterday, shopping for two specific things I could not find and a lunch date that was unavoidably canceled at the last minute.
I did get over to Frida’s 4.0 to celebrate the gay community at another mixer by Out & About Puerto Vallarta magazine and Jet de la Isla’s new Gay Facebook page. What a mix of people were there socializing and catching up.
Jerry Jones, dear friend and editor/publisher of O and A, was holding court, making sure everyone had a name tag. Mike Laking, owner of Frida’s Tom Finley’s friend and help-mate, handed out raffle/tequila shot tickets. I remarked to Tom how smooth the tequila was, and he related the story of how his bar buys the entire production of that particular farm/distillery in Tequila, Jalisco. Mike Laking designed the gorgeous Frida label. Derek Carkner was there with his pooch Coco and highly recommended the blackberry tequila version. One day, I will try it.
Jerry has five or six more mixers coming up; they are such fun and great for business. Over a hundred people attended last night at Frida’s, and the busiest one so far was at Mike Owens’ Stud’s Bar, where 370 hot guys got together to mingle!
Bogie and I celebrate 10 months of living under the same roof this Sunday. We are still at a sometimes uneasy peace. Just when I think we have bonded at last, a new trick emerges that has to be dealt with. The latest is his penchant for escaping the house into the night; with or without other neighborhood cats, he is determined to chase away or invite them in for dinner. To keep him safe, we are both forbidden to be out on the patio, with doors installed and locked and piles of stuff between us and the great outdoors. When my sister Patrice arrives in less than two weeks, we will figure out a new defense system for the outside space; summer necessitates airflow!
A favor to ask from readers. If you like Vallarta Mirror, please take it a step further and “follow” us on Facebook. All that means is, if I talk about you and/or your business in a future column, I can tag you easily. That will only make you more famous! Thank you in advance for doing that! And while we’re at it, if you are not a free subscriber to the Rearview Mirror, which is just like getting the PV Mirror online: https://vallartamirror.com/rearview-mirror-signup/ That will arrive in your inbox Friday morning to go with your coffee.
Have a super weekend, everybody. Sending warm sun and sand to those of you still suffering in the ice and snow From Here.
