Life After Karma: Mitchell Rivadeneyra’s Next Act

Mitchell Rivadeneyra has hung up his sequined gowns, strappy high-heeled sandals, and has put Karma the Bitch to rest. While sounding slightly less offensive in Spanish – Karma La Perra – sounds kinda sweet, doesn’t it? Her persona was the antithesis of Mitchell’s personality, and that takes its toll after years of playacting.

Unlike most of the drag queens we see here in town, Mitchell refused to let excess body fat accumulate and would often fast to fit into his slinky, sexy dresses. Nice on the eyes for us, not so healthy for his body.

And the time it takes to get ready. Every woman in the room can relate, but for guys, there are other considerations to, um, tuck away.

At any rate, Karma was a great tool, a learning experience, and a foot in the door to show business. By the time he finished telling me about his first audition as Karma, I was howling with laughter – it was one of those days when Murphy’s Law ruled – He forgot lyrics and fell off his balance board. He NEVER falls. He had to do his entire idea of a show for Danny Mininni on the Main Stage at Act2. Just him on that great, enormous stage, and a man he came to love like the father he never had. He was devastated when Danny died so unexpectedly a few years ago, and quietly mourns him, speaking his name with reverence to this day.

Mitchell, his brother, and their mother left the State of Mexico and moved to the US, hence Mitchell’s nearly flawless command of the English language. After close to a decade in California, Mitchell and his mom moved to Vallarta, leaving his brother in San Diego, and the two have been happy here, living in our city by the sea.

Recently, Mitchell won La Voz de Catrina at one of Vallarta’s most important entertainment venues – La Catrina Cantina. His show, held a couple of weeks ago at La CC, was full of curious friends to see how he fared without the layers of makeup, wigs, sequins, and gadgets.

He did beautifully, singing danceable songs – nobody did – we were too enthralled by what we were seeing and hearing. I asked him over smoothies how he would feel if everybody got up to dance instead of being still and listening. He replied that he would LOVE that! He is a singer who entertains, and I love that all the barriers are down and what you see is what you get – a long, tall, gorgeous young man with the most expressive and saucy face. He is thinking of adding a touch of eyeliner – he is still happily queer!

Incidentally, all of Karma’s clothes, accessories, and wigs are for sale. There is a ton of it!

Mitchell used to work with dolphins after a stint as a gold appraiser in Mexico City. I can see him perfectly, treading water in a warm pool surrounded by those empaths of the sea and learning so much from them.

Mitchell is back training his voice to improve and to repair itself from years of singing in a register that belonged to Karma, not him. He has a prosperous future ahead, with several projects in the works. One of which will be the John Sheppard musical, inspired by the music of the New Wave Canadian band Men Without Hats, from Montreal, opening at Act2 in late November.

Thanks for joining me, Mitchell, for a lovely hour of conversation. You are such a star!