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Monthly Archives: May 2024
Puerto Vallarta Celebrates 2 Anniversaries May 31
On May 31, 2024, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, will joyfully celebrate two remarkable milestones: its 106th anniversary as a municipality and its 56th anniversary as a city.
Nestled along the stunning Pacific coastline, Puerto Vallarta boasts a rich history. From pre-Hispanic settlements to its founding in 1851, our vibrant city has evolved into a major tourist destination.
To honor this historic occasion, Puerto Vallarta has planned an array of festivities. A traveling photographic exhibition traces its evolution, a photography contest showcases local pride, and a new mural will be unveiled.
Puerto Vallarta has been recognized as the Friendliest City in the World,
ranked among the “Best Small Cities in the World” for its great tourism offerings
and has received important awards such as Best Destination in Mexico, Best Food Destination and Beach Destination of the Year.
The grand celebrations on May 31 will fill the streets with joy and color, culminating in a spectacular Pyromusical display over Banderas Bay. MORE DETAILS HERE
Lots of Exciting Changes Happening at ACT2PV !
Dear Friends and Fans of ACT2PV,
As the newest member of the ACT2PV team, I greet you with great excitement for the upcoming season! It promises to be one of ACT2PV’s most artistically fulfilling seasons yet!
For those of you who may not know, I have recently accepted a few key positions here at ACT2PV in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. These positions are: House Manager, Booking Director, Special Events Producer, and Director of Donor Relations & Outreach. News of my appointment can be found HERE. I look forward to welcoming you all each night as you come to the theater.
But first, I must THANK both Act2PV owners, Alfonso Lopez and Oscar Cisneros, for entrusting me with this very important responsibility. Together, we hope to fully realize, and even exceed Founding Director Danny Mininni’s vision for world-class entertainment in Puerto Vallarta.
During the new 2024/2025 season, ACT2PV will be instrumental in raising the standard of entertainment excellence in Puerto Vallarta!
We will be bringing top-tier Broadway and Cabaret talent from around the globe, as well as redesigning and restructuring ACT2PV’s beautiful facility to optimize the space and offer an enhanced experience to our guests.
Here’s a sneak peek at some NEW additions for Act2PV this coming season:
- NEW Ovations Piano Bar
The current plans include a complete redesign and remodel of the “Melody Bar” into the brand-new “Ovations Piano Bar!” We want to make this the hub of the city, where people are entertained by great musicians in a beautiful, comfortable setting. Ovations will feature unique entertainment, with special showtimes, making it Puerto Vallarta’s newest entertainment destination, and it will include a late night cabaret bar! Additionally, Yamada Japanese Cuisine can be enjoyed in both the Ovations Piano Bar (OPV) and the new “Terrace Bar,” making it completely possible to enjoy dinner and a show… before the show!The remodeled Ovations Piano Bar will have an entirely new vibe, with some of PV’s best entertainers, where you can relax and enjoy the music with your favorite cocktail! Entertainment schedules and showtimes between The Casa Karma Red Room and the Ovations Piano Bar will be staggered, allowing guests the opportunity to see more than one great performance in one evening. - NEW Terrace Bar
The new outdoor Terrace Bar, located at the front of the building on the second level, overlooks Basilio Badillo. It will feature a full bar with table-seating, as well as special music and lighting! The Terrace Bar will open at Happy Hour (4pm) and extend through the evening. Visitors to the Casa Karma Red Room will also be able to enjoy the Terrace Bar before and after a show. - Danny’s Main Stage:
Broadway Icons! A Special Event Series
➤ Lorna Luft – Emmy Award-winning Broadway, Film and Television Star, and daughter of the iconic Judy Garland
➤ Lilias White – Drama Desk, Obie, and TONY Award Winner (Best Featured Actress in a Musical “The Life”), fresh from her starring Broadway role in “Hadestown.”
➤ John Lloyd Young – Drama Desk, Grammy, and TONY Award Winner (Best Featured Actor in a Musical “Jersey Boys”)
➤ Sam Harris – Motown Recording Artist, Broadway legend, and Grand Champion of America’s first television singing competition, Star Search!In this special high-season series, each of these artists will offer two performances between Jan 10, 2025 – March 15, 2025. This is a level of talent you will not find anywhere else in Puerto Vallarta!Plus – we have NEW BROADWAY MUSICALS and other special events that will be announced soon!
- Casa Karma Red RoomThe Great American Songbook Series
This special subscription-based series of timeless vocal repertoire will feature multi-award-winning, international cabaret artists from around the world. (artists & dates TBA)
And for those looking for something a little more scintillating….Frisky Fridays at ACT2
This themed night in both the Ovations Bar, and the Casa Karma Red Room is designed for the night owl and those looking for more adult-oriented entertainment, including:Best of Drag
It’s Raining Men 2.0
LibeRaunchy (a frisky follies hosted and accompanied by “Mr. Showmanship” himself – David Maiocco aka Liberace!)
Cutting-edge Alternative Performance Art from around the globe.
Fridays at the Ovations Bar: Special entertainment designed to stimulate, titillate, and start your evening off right!
PLUS, Mexican National Acts will be presented In order to continue our commitment to fostering and developing the best talent Mexico has to offer! We will be featuring fantastic cultural and Mexican National acts from around the country
And there’s more….
BINGO EVERY SATURDAY in the Ovations Piano Bar and a
Special Matinee Film Series in Danny’s Mainstage will provide family fun for everyone,
Other Special Events:
“A Liberace Christmas,” starring David Maiocco
“Love Beyond Borders,” the ground-breaking concert “featuring some of PV’s greatest talent in a special program highlighting the worldwide LGBTQ refugee crisis
Yes, this is an ambitious season that features the type of world-class talent that hasn’t graced the stages of Act2PV in many years. But the entire team, including our friend (and my Associate Booking Manager), Mark Hartman, has worked tirelessly to envision this new direction and concept for the future of Act2PV. We have made all the plans and now we need your help! Very soon you will receive another email explaining various options for patronage and sustaining donorship.
I urge you to look at these levels of patronage and donorship as your opportunity to shape the artistic life of Puerto Vallarta, and participate at the highest level possible.
THANK YOU so much for your continued support. Truly, the BEST is yet to come.
I look forward to seeing you ALL at the theater.
Sincerely,
David Sabella ACT2PV, Puerto Vallarta, MX
Gay Hotel Mercurio Abruptly Shut Down May 17th
OUT AND ABOUT PV first broke the story. Hotel Mercurio, a popular Gay Hotel in Zonal Romantica in Puerto Vallarta, has been closed and apparently its assets seized by Federal and Local Police Authorities, with guests left stranded on the street.
It all happened on Friday, May 17, 2024, around 9:30 p.m. just before one of the busiest weeks in Puerto Vallarta as gay pride begins.
Multiple trucks outside the hotel were loading all of the furniture, equipment and everything from the hotel.
A female police office outside the hotel told O&APV that a bank is repossessing the property and seizing all of the assets.
Guests at the hotel were not even allowed to pack their own bags. Authorities packed everyones bags – which left many guests shaken at the traumatic experience. Some are trying to location medications and phone chargers and still do not know where they will be spending the night.
Local Vlogger & Journalist Paco Ojeda reported, in his show “Puerto Vallarta Coffee & Headlines • May 18, 2024“, around the 19 minute mark, that he spoke to Hotel Mercurio Owner Paul Crist’s Husband Luis, who told him that their had been a long-standing legal suit against the hotel and a judgement had been made in the suit and that the hotel had lost. Authorities seized the property and all the contents of the building are in a warehouse in Ixtapa.
It’s just terrible news. Owner Paul Crist and his husband do so much for the community here. They had an amazing staff and hotel guests love staying with them. There has been talk about starting a GO FUND ME for displaced employees.
GAY PV MAGAZINE did a story also.
“Paul needs a brief period to assess the situation and determine the best way to move forward. We are certain he will release a public statement outlining how anyone from the community who is interested can offer assistance to him, his employees, and the affected guests. He is concerned about his employees and guests as much as we are.
During this trying time, it is crucial that we respect his need for space, avoiding overwhelming him with calls and inquiries as why this happened. Giving him this space will enable him to focus on the recovery process and make informed decisions.”
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Update 5/19 4pm.
-Paul Christ updates community – An Open Letter from Paul
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