‘Midnight Radio’ Benefit Packs The Palm

I am still reeling from Midnight Radio, the benefit held last night at The Palm Cabaret to help Jordon Carnegie recoup expenses due to the cancellation of his blockbuster musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The outpouring of love was almost overwhelming, with every performer in town who was not working last night showing up with their support for their fellow singer, actor, and producer. What happened to Jordon could have happened to any one of us; there is some comfort in knowing the strength and devotion of our community.

Jordon is recovering from a savage dog attack and, on the outside, seems to be healing well; the internal pain of being hurt by a favorite family pet will take longer, plus cosmetic surgery to fix dislodged teeth will likely take all summer. Jordon will return to the stage stronger than ever; his support group of talented, loving individuals will help carry him back to the top of his game and return as Hedwig in all her tortured glory.

Midnight Radio, the show named after a title of a song from Hedwig, was emceed by Vallarta’s new darling, Sargento Dan, who can now add ‘Host’ to his burgeoning list of recent accomplishments. His innocent mangling of names and words in two languages was hilarious. He is a natural prankster with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, an imp waiting to surprise with his antics and an unusual speaking voice that makes people smile on the verge of laughter whenever he opens his mouth.

We saw a taste of Sweet Dreams starring Delilah Beaucoup and her backup singers, Stephanie Wright Watts and Patriz Fomitchev. Jordon Carnegie is producing this Tribute to Annie Lennox and the Eurythmics, which opens at Coco Cabaret on April 18 at 8 pm for two performances only.

A couple of heartfelt videos were shown, sent from the US, and obviously made with much love and admiration for their friend and, oftentimes, mentor, Jordon.

The roster of entertainers read like a who’s who of Vallarta, and I won’t try and list all of them – sure as hell I will miss someone, or what songs they sang solo or in duets and trios and ensemble conga line-gorgeous, raucous, loving chaotic joy at the finale.

Thanks go to The Palm Cabaret for offering the venue and to the staff who worked their butts off trying to keep the SRO crowd well-watered. Thank you, Maru Prado Conti, in her fourth season as the divine Lady Gaga, who pitched the idea of throwing a benefit to help Jordon and Richard Carnegie cover their formidable medical expenses and their livelihood impacted by the cancelation of their major production mid-season that also trickled down to so many others involved with Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Jordon’s costar, Yoalli Guerrero Ortiz, was in fine voice, as was Effie Passero, whose rendition of “Never Enough” created a standing ovation (as it always does) and has almost become her signature song.