The beat
Enjoy some sultry jazz with “The Friends” on kahon, clarinet and skiffel-bass on Sunday, May 13, 2-5 p.m. at La Tasca. It’s just the thing for a day on the lake. Call 766-5269 for reservations.
Auditions
VIVA la Musica! will be conducting auditions for young musicians seeking scholarship support. They are set for the first week in August.
Anyone knowing talented but needy Mexican musicians hoping to further their studies or careers should call VIVA President Rosemary Keeling at 766-1801.
VIVA in the fall
The next concert in the VIVA season will be on Thursday, September 13, when the Jalisco State Choir, along with the Jorge Estrada Jazz Trio, will perform. The performance will probably be in the old Sol y Luna space as the auditorium may still be in the throes of reparations.
Russian baritone Anton Belov will present a concert of operatic arias on Thursday, October 11 in St. Andrew’s Anglican Church.
New board member
Fidelia Medina Ascenia has accepted the position of liaison with the Mexican community for the VIVA la Musica! board of directors. She has many contacts here and in Guadalajara and is interested in bringing more Mexican faces into the audiences of VIVA events.
Movies
Democrats Abroad will launch its new movie series with “Waiting for Superman,” a film about education in the United States. Cinema del Lago at Plaza Bugambilias will show the movie Sunday, May 13, 3 p.m. The admission is 50 pesos.
The regular Democrats Abroad meeting scheduled for May 14 will not be held in view of many other activities, including the International DA convention on the weekend of May 17, 18 and 19 in Puerto Vallarta.
A little country
Ron Baker and Jay Shuffle will hold forth in down-home country style for listening and dancing on Sunday, May 13, 3-6 p.m. at La Bodega Restaurant. (All mothers will be offered a free glass of Champagne with their dinners.) Call 766-1002 for reservations.
Auditions
My, My How Nice! Productions will hold auditions for the musical “The Fantasticks” on Sunday, May 27, 1 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church.
Singers and actors of all ages are needed. One role requires physical movement and is non-speaking. Please take along a prepared song that will demonstrate your vocal range. If you have any questions regarding the auditions, email Jayme Littlejohn at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Songs for benefit
A fund-raising event to help the Mexican choristers of Los Cantantes del Lago participate in the summer tour to British Columbia is set for May 20, 4 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Riberas del Pilar.
“Object of Desire, a Musical Odyssey” will feature baritone Eduardo Munoz Zuniga and pianist Tim Welch. Tickets are 180 pesos and on sale at Diane Pearl Colecciones and Mia’s Boutique. You can also purchase them by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
This will be a spectacular concert that you’ll not soon forget.
Getting naked
The Naked Stage minimalist readers’ theater will present “Legends” on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 25, 26 and 27, 4 p.m. at the Naked Stage Theater (Rio Bravo 10, west Ajijic).
Written by James Kirkwood and directed by Barbara Clippinger, “Legends” is about rival aging actresses and was penned for Broadway icons Mary Martin and Carol Channing. They took the comedy on the road for two years, hoping to turn it into a Broadway smash. That never happened. More recently Linda Evans and Joan Collins toured part of Canada and the United States in the play for 30 weeks.
The Naked Stage edition will star local theater veterans Jeritza McCarter and Betty Lloyd Robinson, along with Tina Jones.
Make reservations by calling Ann Pinkerton at 766-5986 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The expected donation is 80 pesos.
Naked in June
The Naked Stage production in June will include two plays by Woody Allen: “Riverside Drive” and “Old Saybrook.” Betty Lloyd Robinson is directing. Dates are set for June 22, 23 and 24.
To reach Plaza de la Ribera, turn south on Rio Bravo and drive two blocks downhill. The theater is situated behind the San Pedro Restaurant on the east side of Rio Bravo. San Pedro is open for lunch and dinner and a no-host bar is available.
Harps
The annual folk harp festival will kick-off on Monday, May 21, with an all-day round of harpists and groups playing other traditional instruments at Centro Cultural Gonzalez Gallo. The evening usually brings out the best with many of the groups competing and then jamming.
Certain groups will perform on May 22 on the La Vela Plaza of the Chapala’s malecon, beginning about 7 p.m. The whole thing will wrap up in the town of Atequiza in the town’s historic theater. Tickets for the theater performance cost 50 pesos each. Proceeds are earmarked for charity.
Small plants
From May 16, Bonsai fans will get together at the Gonzalez Gallo Cultural Center in Chapala for a seminar on the cultivation of Bonsai plants. The workshops include hands-on sessions given by internationally known experts of the Bonsai art. For more information contact leader Alfonso Mendoza Gonzalez at (cel.) 331-526-2924, visit the Cultural Center or call the Center at (376) 765-7424.