date night in the basement of a mexican restaurant

a few nights ago a couple of cheeks went to see two characters and a golddigger in the basement of a mexican restaurant.

have i lost anyone yet? allow me to explain.

every few months a cast of friends put on a show for their friends, and their friends, and their friends at cavern club theater, which so happens to be located in the basement of the iconic mexcian restaurant, casito del campo. the shows vary in theme but are always loud, colorful, and as eccentric as the people who act in them. i always end up laughing so hard my cheeks hurt by the end, always ALWAYS drink too many margaritas and if there is ever a fire there we will all die together in a drunken inferno.

it's kind of the best thing ever.

this particular offering, two characters and a golddigger, was a bit of a departure from what i had grown to expect. this was a love story. a love of show business told by three veteran performers, aka two characters and a golddigger. the characters, james gray and joe giamalva, and the golddigger, susie ewing, take us down memory lane through film clips and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and of course a few song and dance numbers. it was fascinating. theirs is a story from two generations before mine. i was impressed by their talent and veracity. and when they closed the show with a routine to a beyonce track. well, they SHUT IT DOWN.

now on with the show... and photos!

part of the draw of the shows is the theater itself... a mexican restaurant. genius really. one of the many in los angeles that has remained a neighborhood landmark for decades. waiters never change, menu is the same like the place has stood still. like the not-as-scary restaurant version of the overlook hotel from 'the shining'. i love that. something you can count on. and one really must have a solid margarita they can depend on. we rarely arrive early enough for dinner, but always early enough for at least one drink at the bar. and that's where the characters are. and this old american bulldog lamp. pretty awesome. and this plate of chips + guacamole was dayum good.