Lies, Lyrics, and Laughs
Besides a goodly bump of an earthquake this morning in Centro around 7:15, how’s everybody doing? I felt the oddest change of air pressure like someone was squeezing me too tight, then the few bells I have around me rang like crazy for a second or two, then the earth let me go, and all was still again. Funny that my phone didn’t sound a seismic alarm like it did last week for the earthquake in Mexico City. No harm done, apparently.
A few days ago, Vallarta’s darling, Sargento Dan, unveiled his latest iteration of Mentiras, his one-man musical ‘telenovela’ at Nacho Daddy. In his second season-opener at Nacho Daddy, Sargento presented new color-coded costumes, a couple of additional songs, and extended English explanations about the longest-running Spanish-language musical still running in Mexico City after 16 years. The ingenious additions of commercials slyly introduced into the dialogue, complete with musical accompaniment, added even more laughs to the evening.
The complicated plot involves four women who are in love with the same man, who come together at his funeral and begin to learn about the Lies (Mentiras in Spanish). Add murder to the mix, some songs, and you have a hit on your hands! Sargento will only have four more presentations of Mentiras this season, one a month, ending in May. As with all great performances in town, check VallartaCalendar.com for details.
One week today, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, is the Classic Benefit Concert, the free-to-the-public, classical music extravaganza starring the Canadian organizer David Boz on piccolo trumpet and Mexican soprano Vanessa Amaro. The acoustics in our church are fabulous, making baroque Mozart even more splendid. That concert begins shortly after Mass concludes, around 8:30 pm. I suggest getting there early if you want to sit!
Vanessa, with her pianist Adriana Maria and flautist/saxophonist Manuel Alvarez Ruiz, presented a tribute to the late, great Maria Callas at Coco Cabaret on Monday afternoon. This show will return in March, so stay tuned if you are a fan of opera’s Divine Diva, Callas.
Sanctuary – PV is doing what no other venue in Vallarta is doing – providing space, time, and promotion for comedy! It is the only entertainment genre we are missing.
My sister Patrice’s dear friend and mine, too – Sharon Bergos and I went to Sanctuary to see what funny stuff was happening on Monday at 8 pm. It was only the second show introducing an ‘open mic’ concept to comedy. We chatted briefly with funny girl Valerie Branch, recently relocated from San Francisco, and leading the charge to laughter. She is reaching out to her friends in the biz to come down on vacay, drop in on Mondays, and share the love. That’s an open invitation to all of you readers! You don’t have to be a professional comic; you just have to want to be. This is your big chance to shine! Ethan White was the star of the show a couple of nights ago. His delivery was excellent, and I hope to hear him again, From Here.
