"The Mexican Elvis". The show was full of pumped up rock 'n' roll energy (Almost punk! They even covered a Stooges song.), and completely hilarious. El Vez is no fat, burger inhaling King, like Tortelvis from Dread Zeppelin. He's in fabulous shape, probably from all the James Brown style dance moves he throws into the set, and heightens his already considerable sex appeal (not to mention his intentionally considerable "cheese" factor) with on stage wardrobe changes via tear away pants (always backed up with another pair, much to the chagrin of some of the women near the stage). He has a natural talent for interacting with the crowd, and one of the ladies I came with was lucky enough to have her hand kissed by the King.
The band were great, although not quite so visually spectacular, bedecked in Santa hats to match the "Merry Mex-mas" Christmas special theme. "The Elvettes", backup singers extraordinaire, were sexy and campy, in short, red, PVC dresses trimmed with white fur, high heels, and fishnet stockings. They joined in the banter with El Vez at various points in the show, sang some songs without him, and even had a mock argument in Spanish.
Underlying the entire show, of course, were various introductions of Hispanic culture and cliches into both Christmas and the Elvis myth. Songs like "Oranges for Christmas" and "Dreaming of a Brown Christmas" highlighted the disparity of traditional Christmas cheer with the reality of living as a poor child in Mexico: the oranges were the only present a grandmother could afford to buy for her thirty grandchildren, and, well, it just doesn't snow that much down there. There was no bitterness in the delivery, however. Every song was uplifting and fun, the blatant mockery of our typical stereotypes for his people bringing us all together against them. With humour and wit, El Vez brought to our attention (with the poem "Charlie, I'm Brown") the fact that our Sunday funnies don't have any Hispanic characters in them, although most other "minorities" are represented. (I disagree with him however about Peppermint Patty being a lesbian; she seems to have a big crush on Chuck. Marcie, on the other hand…)
The whole show was a explosion of contrast and colour, never letting up for a second. All told, I had a really great time. Hail the King! El Vez! El Vez!