| Bedazzled on Christmas They
can't be all gays. Can they? All of them? Our
friend, straight-as-a-jacket Randy, who came with us to watch a performance of
Bedazzled III at Club Mwah in Mandaluyong City last week wondered aloud how, in
heaven's name, could it all happen. As
the dancers flitted from one slinky costume to the next, spanning various musical
genres and eras, countries and continents, Randy and I couldn't figure out which
one was male and which one was female from among the throng of dancers on the
floor and on stage. They all looked uniformly ravishing - and great as entertainers. 
Pocholo
Malilin, Club Mwah's co-owner and administrator, revealed later the dance ensemble
is made up of 5 girls, 10 transvestites, 4 boys, and 5 cross-overs. They are stars
of Club Mwahs's latest attraction, Bedazzled III, which is the 3rd season offering
of the specialty club-theater this Christmas season. The
Christmas extavaganza features colorful Egyptian tableax that features Queen Nefertiti
with a phalanx of slaves and soldiers dancing before a giant pyramid and sphinx.
Another spectacular production number is the golden cabaret sequence reminiscent
of the glamorous 1940s era in the theaters of Moulin Rouge in Paris and Broadway
in New York. 
Particularly
timely and cheerful was the Christmas tableaux complete with four dancing red-nosed
reindeers, a giant sleigh, and Santa Claus giving away gifts to guests. Pocholo
said the combination of such grandeur and artistry has earned Club Mwah its reputation
as the home of Las Vegas-style shows in the country. Pocholo and his long-time
associate Chris Nicolas, have been getting proposals to partner with foreign businessmen
with plans to set up similar thematic establishments in places like Korea. They
have been turning them down, aware that ventures like Club Mwah require personal
attention and care. Nicolas,
who takes care of costumes, production design, and direction, says a show that
runs for a month only costs a million pesos on the average. Attention top detail
is evident from the wigs, uniformly-styled shoes, feathers, headdresses, to rhinestone-studded
gowns. The club operates and basks glamour. Bedazzled
III runs from Thursdays to Saturdays at 10pm. until January 6, 2006. Club Mwah
is on the 3rd level of The Venue Tower along Boni Ave. in Mandaluyong City. •
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