Let me start with the info you aspiring Puerto Vallarta travelers will want to know.
Firstly, if you have not made a reservation at Casa Kimberly, make it a priority.
Casa Kimberly was a home away from home for movie stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. It is now a nine-suite boutique hotel, with an open-air rooftop restaurant, tequila bar, pool and an intimate spa. I was taken with the original movie posters, the decor, the history of these two love birds. Very interesting.
I recommend you book your reservation for the restaurant so that you are being seated right at sunset. The view overlooks the beautiful sparkling waters of Banderas Bay and the red clay-rooftops that dot the Sierra Madre Mountains. The setting is irresistible. You will find the food to be out of this world. Jason and I are on the carnivore diet. Steaks for us. And they melt in your mouth. But the entire table sampled much of the menu and everyone could not have been more impressed. Definitely make this a part of your get-away.
On the go, my pre-show food routine is patties at Derby City Burger. Fantastic service. Really good burgers. Can’t go wrong.
I performed at the Palm Cabaret. This is going to be your go-to place for entertainment right now! But among the well known and much loved drag performances there, my first recommendation to you is The Dueling Drag Divas. Hysterical comedy. Great live singing. And the duo of Emmy Award Winner Chi Chi Rones and Joanna is a masterclass on chemistry. Nowadays, they only do three or four shows a season – usually in February. Don’t miss them! It’s worth planning your vacation in February when they are there. And hint, I’m there the same time-ish.
PV is Changing!
Drag and impersonation shows have swallowed up every other type of entertainment there. It’s difficult getting vacationers to work past their assumption that my show is one or the other. That poses a newer challenge. But once people come, word of mouth carries me through the run pretty well.
Also, PV is becoming more like P-Town every year and it doesn’t fair well for male singers. I love my gay brethren, but I’ve been in gay media and entertainment for 20 years and we all know the priorities run in this order – drinking and clubs, male exotic dancers, drag shows, and then maybe a gay male singer as your solid fourth option. With PV now attracting a twenty/thirty something P-Town crowd, I may be retiring my annual six show residency there in another year or two. Sad, but change is the only constant my friends. And PV is evolving.
With that said, it’s a special place for Jason and I because of the local people. We have fallen in love with the lifestyle and culture that we see through the eyes of our local friends and acquaintances. And while I may only get one meal with these friends, or some, just seeing them in the crowd, they’ve all left an impact. They have made my heart smile a hundred times.
Speaking of friends, this year I decided to include oil pantings projected as my backdrop for my show. The last slide of the show was an oil painting from my friend and PV local Francine. She passed not long ago, and those of us in the cabaret who knew her shared a very special moment when her painting came up. I’ve included the painting in the photos below as well as Chi Chi, Jason and I at Casa Kimberly, performance photos, and other random things.
Here was the set list:
- No Apologies (from my album Where I Belong)
- Love Potion #9 (from Smokey Joe’s Cafe)
- Stand By Me (from Smokey Joe’s Cafe)
- Not While I’m Around (from Sweeney Todd)
- I Go To Rio (from The Boy From Oz)
- Georgia On My Mind (from Ray)
- Piano Man
- Corner Of The Sky (from Pippin)
- Lost In The Wilderness (from Children Of Eden)
- Deliver Me (from my upcoming new musical)
- Proud (from my upcoming new musical)
- Living In The Shadows (from Victor/Victoria)
- Real Wild Child/Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On (from Million Dollar Quartet)