Lucha VaVOOM’s – Lucha is for Lovers – at The Mayan Theater – Los Angeles, CA

Sexo y Violencia – that’s been the tagline for Lucha VaVOOM since its inception in 2003, and what combination would be better for their annual Valentine’s Day extravaganza other than “sex and violence”? Part comedy, part burlesque, and part traditional Lucha Libre wrestling, Lucha VaVOOM is the vaudeville of the 21st Century.

The 3-day show took place at the historic Mayan Theatre, a former picture palace built in the 1920’s, complete with stylized pre-Columbian patterns on the façade. The first part of the show starts outside, with the luchadores and lovely burlesque ladies being delivered to the front of the theater via classic hot-rods. (Thanks to the rain-induced and Presidential-visit inspired traffic I missed that part of the show.)

Walking into the venue, the excitement is palpable from the diverse crowd—there are young punks, grandparents, yuppie couples, and the inevitable groups of rabid fans donning their very own chicken head masks—the common thread being that each and every single person there is anxiously awaiting the start of the show. A DJ off to the side of the venue is spinning salsa tunes whilst scenes from random 60’s B-movies play on the drop-down screens sprinkled throughout The Mayan.

Lights dimming, an introductory video to Lucha VaVOOM starts playing. Blaine Capatch, the main comedic emcee for the evening, takes the stage and introduces the first act. Lucy Fur begins the night, breaking out of her shell, and it’s off to the races.

Throughout the rest of the show, it’s tantalizing tassels, high-flying antics, and tongue-in-cheek commentary. This isn’t a show wherein you just sit back and watch—you are involved in the entertainment, since the luchadores are tossed, and actively jump, into the audience. And since this was the Valentine’s show, there was even a marriage.

No write-up will ever be able to do this delicious spectacle justice. Lucha VaVOOM needs to be experienced, live and in person. (Just ask Drew Carey and Eric Idle, who were also there as spectators that night.) If you aren’t able to make the next live show, you can experience some of the insanity here

To quote Jack Black, "Lucha VaVOOM is the shit." Amen Jack... Amen!

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-Anni Thyme-
Big Wheel Staff Photographer

 
             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

 

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