Mayhem at The Palm
I love Mylar! It reflects light in all directions, and the magpie that lives in my heart loves to see this shimmering fabric under uber-bright spotlights on stage. The latest (and greatest!) Lady Gaga tribute at The Palm Cabaret ‘Mother Mayhem’ has a gazillion meters of it on the dancers, superstar Maru Prado Conti, and it even creates a waterway for the boat. You’ll see.
This production is a breakthrough spectacular across the board, from the blood red cabaña center stage, the raised prison cell stage right, and a roving cameraman in everybody’s face, capturing fabulous video shots that were immediately projected onto the Palm’s three giant screens. A technological feat that Maru had been planning for ages, and pulled off without a hitch, to the surprise and delight of the audience. I can’t even imagine the hours of rehearsal this show must have taken. It was a full-blown ballet with the cast and camera flying across the stage, knowing precisely where the lens was and whose face was supposed to be in it. Amazing choreographing, planning, and mapping.
Lady Gaga herself said that putting Mother Mayhem together was like “reassembling a shattered mirror.” Besides the pace being chaotic and frantic, there are moments of quiet that are breathtakingly glorious. I couldn’t capture the golden light showering Maru with my imperfect phone. The guy sitting beside me, who knew every single word to every song, heard my gasp and whispered, ”Beautiful, isn’t it?” Oh my, yes.
And, there is a ton of fun in this production with the cast – about mid-way through, they make their way out the front door of the theatre, dancing and singing in the street. All of it is captured on film to entertain us while everyone scurries backstage for yet another costume change. It was seamlessly done and pure cinematic genius. Again, I think of the endless rehearsals!
After five years, Argentina native Maru Prado Conti doesn’t seem to be tiring of presenting Lady Gaga. Her inspired shows regularly sell out, of course, and consume every ounce of her energy. And her dancers. If they are not moving every body part at breakneck speed, they are posed perfectly. They are truly a well-oiled machine.
The brilliant pianist and composer Edgar Bernache created the score for Maru’s Mother Mayhem, mashing up some of Lady Gaga’s superhits rolling them one into another. He took a well-deserved bow with the cast onstage at the end of Opening Night. Bravo, Maestro!
If you are looking for a fast-paced show with super high-energy dancing, singing, and orchestration, Mother Mayhem is waiting at The Palm Cabaret to knock your socks off permanently, every Saturday night at 9. If you go straight home afterwards, you will be unable to sleep (ask me how I know…), so plan to start the night being blown away and carry on creating your own special Mayhem in some of Vallarta’s welcoming bars.