Vallarta Favorite Amy Armstrong Stars in ‘Spanglish’ with Bohemia Viva Gary R. Beck - Beck's Best
December 24, 2015

Returning for her eleventh season at The Palm, cabaret veteran Amy Armstrong is back with her all-new ‘Spanglish’ music and comedy show.

As last season, Amy Armstrong pairs up with the lovely duo of Andrea and Luis, Bohemia Viva! for a terrific night of music and comedy. This fine blend of the three is remarkable. Amy, with her full-volume gorgeous voice, was front and center with Andrea supplying much harmony and Luis mainly adding the rhythm and timing with his guitar in addition to vocals. The trio was well-rehearsed and experienced from last season's triumphant run here at The Palm.

Ex's and Oh's recently popularized by Elle King brought high energy into the air with people clapping to the musical delights. Swinging and swaying back and forth to the beat and strum of Luis, the crowd got into the show from the start.

At times, Amy sings blues rock then glides into soft pop. She has been performing for nearly twenty years, including on sixty Gay cruises. A vast following seeks her performances, reveling in both her strong stirring voice and her adult humor which is sprinkled throughout the presentation. She exclaimed that Andrea and Luis have learned many of the "bad" words of English so when she jokes to the audience, they are understanding more and more. She cannot escape their recognition. "I called Uber. A donkey showed up."

From a talent lost way too soon, Amy Winehouse was interpreted in the song "Back to Black." Amy dove head first into this tune, wrenching the emotion out of it. Such sweet sorrow.

Bohemia Viva! was spotlighted at times showing everyone their distinct talents of vocalizing and harmonizing with acoustic guitar chords. They took the song "You're the One That I Want" from "Grease" and brought it up several notches resulting in a rousing uplifting experience. Forget the older versions, this is tops.

A terrific take on James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" stood out during the evening where the mixing of the talents of each was at its best. Amy sang a wonderful lead, Andrea added soft harmonies and Luis strummed his guitar a la the star who wrote and introduced the song in 1970. "Stay With Me" becoming a popular classic from Sam Smith portrayed the trio as a tight assemblage of individual talents.

"As I get older, my inner voice becomes my outer voice." This factual statement rears its head often, so we sat back and watched her go wild. The audience loves her and she responds, demonstrating her love of Puerto Vallarta and adjustment to life in Mexico. The trio will be on stage for quite a number of nights, so a return visit is in the cards.

Spanglish will be performed at The Palm Cabaret on December 26, 27, January 1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 20, 23, 24, 27, and 29. All shows begin at 9:30 pm except for the January 14 performance which will be at 7:00 pm.

Tickets may be purchased at the Palm Cabaret Box Office, Olas Altas 508 in Old Town Vallarta (opens daily at 10:00 am), telephone is (322) 222-0200, or you may purchase tickets online at Vallarta Tickets.