Miss Butterfly’s Last Show of the Season
My last foray out of the house was Easter Sunday night when I saw Johnny Naoufal in his final show for the season at Coco Cabaret. Miss Butterfly flew onto the stage encased in volumes of a Bill Mackie-worthy gown of black fabric festooned with sequins and a headdress that sparkled in the lights and must have been a challenge to keep on her head with the weight of it. As Johnny’s Cher burst forth in song, layers of clothing came off, wigs changed with the number, two fine-looking dancers, Alejandro and Sebastian, hit their stride, and we were off into the mad, mad world of drag.
Johnny was born in Beirut, Lebanon, which makes him as exotic as a rare cat. I spent some months in that city – which is remarkably similar to Vallarta in many ways, a decade before he was born. His language skills are fierce – Arabic, French, English, and another 15 more, or so I read. He has lived in Montreal, Canada, for more than 30 years and has been doing drag for 25.
He has one of those mercurial faces that change in a heartbeat, and he has clearly studied the women he portrays on stage in minute detail and has their mannerisms down pat. But what his women likely don’t do in real life sets Johnny’s shows apart from others.
He races through the audience (in those high heels!), climbing over chairs and people, engaging everybody within grasping range to be a part of the show. He invited Mikel Alvarez, owner of ThrIVE Med Spa, and one of his sponsors for a little dance onstage. Then, Mikel deftly tucked a syringe (Botox, mayhaps?) into Butterfly’s bosom and left the stage smiling from ear to ear.
Not in her usual drag, local celebrity and French-Canadian Wendy Warhol made a surprise visit with a martini, flowers, and a song celebrating Johnny’s last show in Vallarta.
From the frenetic dancing of Tina Turner to the serenity of Celine Dion, I was swept into Miss Butterfly’s amazingly colored world, fringed with laughter and much, much love from the audience to the stage and vice versa.
People who know me understand my deep affection (affliction?) for fabric, so I thoroughly loved each and every one of the more than 20 costume changes that were done quickly and spectacularly. (Johnny’s excess baggage fees must be enormous.) Maybe she will allow me to be backstage during one of her shows next season; how I would love to see some of these creations up close and touchable.
Until your next migration, Miss Butterfly, enjoy your summer away.