Mango Smoothies with Keenan
Keenan Steiner and I spent a couple of hours in the sun drinking mango smoothies and catching up on post-COVID goings-on in his life. And laughing. It is what he does: make people laugh. Or tries. When he moved to Mexico City a couple of years ago, and set up stand-up shop in a place loaded with venues devoted to comedy (unlike Puerto Vallarta, which has precisely none), he was in for more than a few surprises. The biggest one was the number of Chilangos who offered to teach him Spanish when he has been fluent his entire life.
Keenan and I discussed the anomalies in the sense of humor between the US/Canada and Mexico. They are decidedly different, yet both sides of that coin agree that the OTHER side has a decidedly odd sense of humor. So. Keenan learned he couldn’t take his English-language stand-up routine: the New York City Jewish-Italian Gay Man that came out later in life (23), and traveled to Valarta as a tourist and possible future resident, and simply translate it and hand it over to the Mexico City community. It’s a bi-coastal, bi-cultural thing, with Vallarta being less evolved, more naive and provincial than the folks in one of the world’s largest cities. The learning curve was bendy, and now Keenan has his feet firmly planted on two borders. He is now officially living in NYC but winter-warm and welcomed here in Vallarta, making friends daily and wondering what to do and where to go next. Whatever direction he takes to share the love, see him tonight at Anomio if you aren’t attending the Blooming Together Gala at Oscar’s. If you are going to the latter, save a dance for me!
Another vegetarian spaghetti on the beach at Langostinos for sunset last evening – a rarity for me; the beach and sunset part, I mean. My company was the lovely classical musician David Boz from Victoria, Canada. We spent much of our conversation going over and over David’s recent classical concert at the Guadalupe church with his fellow costars, tenor Rodolfo, soprano Vanessa Amaro, and pianist Aquiles Morales. David heaped praise upon praise for his beloved musicians who gave him so much that evening last week. Nothing is more enjoyable than having dinner in a state of gratitude, and it’s contagious! Thank you, David, for all the gifts you have bestowed on my adopted city; you are loved.
Mary Porter tells me there are a few tickets left for this Sunday’s Stars With a Heart at Teatro Vallarta – what a selection of superstars gathered together to raise money for the Vallarta School for Girls. See you there.