She Said...

Charles Kingsley, the famous 19th Century novelist, once wrote: «There is something very wonderful about music. Words are wonderful enough; but music is even more wonderful. It speaks not to our thoughts as words do; it speaks through our hearts and spirits, to the very core and root of our souls. Music soothes us, stirs us up, it puts noble feelings in us, it can make us cringe; and it can melt us to tears; and yet we have no idea how. It is a language by itself, just as perfect in its ways as speech, as words, just as divine, just as blessed.» And Pablo Casals, the famous Catalan cellist, wrote: «Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.» I am sharing these two quotes with you because I cannot find my own words to describe my experience the night I attended Dana and Mark Zeller’s concert for the benefit of the Clinica de Rehabilitacion Santa Barbara ...nor do I want to plagiarize any of Polly Vicars’ superlatives.



In a community of expats as relatively small as ours is in Puerto Vallarta, we are truly blessed to have the caliber of talent we have here, and the kind of artists who are willing to share it. I use the word as all-encompassing, i.e.: painters, musicians, actors, sculptors, etc. We are lucky to have live theater of the quality offered at the Santa Barbara Theater, and their shows have brought us what was missing for so many years – culture, entertainment, quality. And boy, am I grateful for its existence! Many years ago, a very well-known Vallartan, very active on the local «cultural» scene, attended one of the performances there. At the end of it, he told me something that has stayed with me all this time. He said, «I never knew the foreign community could put on such shows. What a pity that we cannot do the same…» True, that was then, before the construction of the fabulous hall at the Coastal University Center, a.k.a. CUC, of the University of Guadalajara. They’ve hosted some fabulous events there, but unfortunately, unless that same gentleman informs us of them, we never know about them …until after they’ve taken place. Perhaps the disease that afflicts the municipal Department of Culture is contagious…



But I digress. What I wanted to say was that, and this is a confession, I have never been moved to laughter –and tears- like I was, listening to the music presented by this incredible couple, Dana and Mark Zeller. I don’t want to repeat what Maria wrote in her review of the show (see separate article), I just want to add to it.


The repartee between the two is just delightful, and the relationship they appear to have cultivated over decades of marriage is the kind we all dream of, but it’s their voices! Oh my! And with all the respect in the world for Dana’s multiple talents, both as a singer and an actor, it is Mark’s powerful baritone that got to me. Topol, move over! I don’t recall the last time I cried, just listening to a song. I could go on and on, but I won’t. All I want you to know is that if you haven’t attended one of their performances yet, you can still do so this week, especially if you’re an amateur of «classic» Broadway shows, the old stand-bys. I should also mention that aside from the ability these two professionals have to «project» (so that every seat in the house is a good seat), the acoustics in Cathy Von Rohr’s gallery are amazingly good. Please don’t miss it.

And bring some tissues – for the tears of laughter, and the other ones too. Besides, the money you’ll pay for your ticket goes to such a worthy cause! Check out Maria’s review for information regarding tickets, times, etc.

There is a rumor going around that Rosie O’Donnell will be visiting our fair city on March 19th. Purportedly, she will be coming with the «All Gay Family Spring Break» on Holland America’s beautiful Oosterdam. The cruise promoters write: «Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) will be on board to spend time with you. R Family is calling it PFLAG @ Sea, and it will give you the opportunity to relax and meet new people.» I think that’s a super idea!
I went back to the Beach House, the place I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, the one next to El Dorado. I was with a different group this time, so we got to try more of the super dishes on their menu. I also noticed a whole bunch of our regular readers there this time. I’m glad they took my advice, or maybe they knew about the place before I did. Regardless, it’s always nice to see someone succeed simply based on excellent food and excellent service. Just goes to prove: size ain’t all… Except when it comes to potholes.

There’s one on Aguacate Street that just keeps on getting bigger and deeper with every day that passes. It’s a high traffic block, traveled by many trucks, ATVs, and the wood supply place is there too, just to make it more interesting. The men who were filling the holes on Jacarandas, the street next and parallel to Aguacate, told me that they would fix it. That was months ago…

And on the topic of those ubiquitous ATVs, I read that the folks in the Paso Ancho area blocked access to their part of town for two hours, in protest against the damage the daily passage of those hundreds of vehicles cause to their environment …and their health. Turns out that the companies that operate the ATVs, a.k.a. dune buggies, actually pay transit rights to those communities. Problem is that those payments do not trickle down to the inhabitants. The roads in their part of town are not paved, so the vehicles stir up lots of dust, which is then inhaled by the residents. This has already caused much respiratory diseases there. A while back, I remember reading something about them getting reimbursed for the water they would need to wet the roads, but then, nothing. They have a justifiable beef. The ATV drivers are provided with face bandanas to cover their noses and mouths, but the residents aren’t about to spend their days wearing those things. I can’t blame them. I sure hope the matter will be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, soon.

I received some very sad news just as I was about to send in this column. Beverly Rose, yet another talented artist, a wonderful, gentle director and human being, has left us. Rest in peace, dear friend. You will be sorely missed.

And may you, dear readers, spend a wonderful, peaceful week in our little not-so-perfect paradise. Take care of yourselves and of each other. Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo.com