Leave Something Behind to Be Free
A mariachi music fest awaits tonight at 7 pm in the auditorium at the end of the gorgeously reconstructed Isla Cuale featuring two of Vallarta’s finest musicians – singer Alberto Cuevas and pianist Salvatore Rodriguez. This is a fundraiser to give a three-year-old Mexican boy the gift of hearing; tickets are 500 pesos and available at the door. The acoustics of this small auditorium have been compared favorably to Carnegie Hall by a friend who knows it well. See VallartaCalendar.com for more information.
The Palm Cabaret and Bar has been around for 24 years, and they have learned how to do things properly. Nearly every show this season just past was a sell-out. Unarguably, they are doing everything right and appealing to a wide audience in the heart of the Gayborhood, and last night’s debut in Mexico of Hedwig and the Angry Inch blew the imaginary socks off every single person in the audience.
This is also typical of The Palm—wait until the end of the season, then drop a bombshell of a theatrical performance that needs to play weekly forever and ever, amen, not just four dates. I also LOVED the Playbill. It’s so good to be able to put names on band members, and the backstory is essential.
The head-banging, screaming, strobe-lit heavy metal/punk rock music was fantastic; I could hardly sit still.
Jordon, reprising his role of Hedwig a decade later, was brilliant. It is so weird and magical for me to see somebody I know personally completely embody a fictitious character and do so with aplomb, empathy, and a grudging bitchiness that is so black it could be dangerous, but Jordon gave Hedwig a voice with heart, humor, and good legs. An outstanding performance, Jordon and the bandmates were Metallica/Sex Pistols for the night.
Jordon’s costar, Yoalli Guerrero, was also a triumph. Yoalli sings with the local band The Lovers. Her complex, cross-dressed character never wavered throughout the entire performance. Superb acting and even better singing!
Get out to The Palm and buy your tickets to this extraordinary play. You will come away changed, I promise you. “You have to leave something behind to be free.”