| Bewitched,
bewildered & bedazzled!
by Emy Velarde "Moulin
Rouge in Mandaluyong!" the brochures proclaim. "We bring Vegas to Boni!" Even
without these references to entertainment meccas abroad, the Folies-type shows
at Club Mwah! on Boni Avenue Mandaluyong are sure to win well-deserved notices
- as in fact they have. It
would not be right to say that, with the freshly lured crowd, the place has started
rocking. Inquirer Entertainment's first visit was on a night way before the crowds
discovered this precious little club and it was already jumping. By
"little," of course, we mean only in physical dimension. Everything else, especially
about the shows, is conceptualized and executed in a big way. Stage, sounds, lights,
furnishings are top of the line; performances are rollicking fun, if not altogether
brilliant. Even on that first
encounter, with less than half of the tables taken, the performers-girls, guys,
gays-were at their manic best. That's entertainment, their flashing eyes declared.
Warning
Credit for the fire in
every number goes to Cris Nicolas, creative director, who wears the title like
an achievement award. Being one of the performers himself, he likewise pays extra
attention to the costumes and props, the result being... they're fabulous. A cobra
suit, Indian silks or Arabian sheers, leather and chains, feathers and frills,
psychedelia - Cris has got every single one stitched to perfection. Last
year's show stopper, "Bedazzled," is now "Bedazzled II." More colorful, more rousing,
stilll spectacular. Show days are Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30. Mondays thru
Thursdays, "Follies de Mwah" goes onstage. This one was also put together in 2004,
and Nicolas has seen little reason to tamper with it except for routine finetuning,
much less replace it. Outside
of the revues, Club Mwah! is slowly becoming the club that Nicolas and partner
Pocholo Malillin envisioned: a throbbing hot spot of music, dance, laughter, and
good times. Show biz celebrities have discovered it and are bringing their parties
here. High society types are coming in, too-gingerly at first, but a half hour
after they walk through the door, they're one the dance floor with one of the
girls/guys/gays of Folies looking, well, bedazzled. You
have been warned. Call 535-7943
or 532-2826 •
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