Dangerous When Wet
If this is Tuesday, then it must be a great shopping day! I am meeting Sharon, then we are descending on the colonia of Coapinole for their fabulous outdoor tianguis, then La Comer for coffee and Costco, and be done and home by noon. That’s the plan anyway! A full report on the extravagant abundance in the morning.
Yesterday afternoon, I hopped a taxi south to Conchas Chinas and the gorgeous villa that is Casa Karma for a very special event. Jamie Brickhouse flew in from New York City to perform his one-man show “Dangerous When Wet,” as a fundraiser for the new Vallarta Gay+ Community Center. A small, select crowd filled the living room with views of the sun setting in Banderas Bay.
Prior to the show, Jamie mingled with everybody that he towered over in his six-inch high, bright red heels, showing off his magnificent legs in short shorts. Two large tables were covered in delectable food prepared by Casa Karma’s chef, Javier. Tiny tarts stuffed with creamed mushrooms, an extraordinary cranberry and maple-baked brie, crudités, and a whole bunch more meat-related finger foods like two-bite pizzas. Fabulous, all of it. I didn’t even think of taking photos of the dessert table after the show, with tea, hot chocolate, chocolate raspberry mousse, cornbread, cookies, and more. The atmosphere was vibrant and filled with laughter, enhancing the evening’s charm.
But let’s go back to the reason we gathered at Casa Karma… Jamie described in detail his first taste of alcohol when he was five years old. The most telling was that it tasted like being an adult. All he ever wanted to be a child – a stylish, sophisticated adult with a martini in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and his head thrown back in laughter. A perfect Joan Crawford moment extended into all parts of his adulthood.
His stories of growing up in Texas with a Southern Belle for a mom – Mama Jean – are funny and sometimes creepy, as are all childhood memories at times. His coming out as gay happened against the backdrop of Acapulco’s Princess Hotel. Once he escaped Texas for New York City, his new chic lifestyle revolving around parties and alcohol took hold hard and eventually nearly killed him.
His tales of recovery, rehab, and his redemption — by promising his mother, in her last moments of sanity, that he would stop drinking, resonated deeply through all of us listening. He has held fast to his promise more than a decade after she passed of Lewy Body Dementia, the same neurological disease that inflicted Robin Williams. Jamie is a warmly wonderful storyteller. In voice, mannerisms, and a brilliant mind to remember nearly 90 minutes of dialogue without a break. I wish he would have brought copies of his books from which his one-man shows have sprung, as they would have added even more depth to the intimate evening. His narratives lingered long after the final applause and well-deserved standing ovation, weaving a lasting impression in our hearts.
Jamie Brickhouse is here until the end of the week. We have promised to get together over mango smoothies and hugs.