Lucha VaVoom performed their “Circo de Vampiros” show the nights of Wednesday, October 24th and Thursday, October 25th, 2018 at the Mayan Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, California. “Circo de Vampiros” was produced by Rita D’Albert and Liz Fairbairn, directed by Angie Scarpa, and hosted by Blaine Capatch and Jeff Davis. The announcer was Javier Robles and Dana Gould was a guest performer. We attended the first show and were impressed with the entire performance. The artists and wrestlers are representative of the diversity of the Los Angeles community. They entertained with their distinct use of “sex and violence.” The show consists of burlesque, comedy, and lucha libre.

Lucha libre, or Mexican wrestling, is an iconic form of Mexican entertainment. Mexican wrestlers like El Perro Aguayo and El Santo are memorable characters to Latino kids who grew up watching Spanish language television in southern California. Lucha VaVoom’s wrestlers showed they are as talented and entertaining as the luchadores who wrestled before them. These wrestlers constantly brought the crowd to their feet as they inspired cheers and taunts.

Male and female wrestlers displayed impressive athleticism and coordination throughout the night at each of the matches. Males wrestled males, males wrestled females, females wrestled little people, males wrestled little people, and then there were brawls where one could not keep up with who was wrestling who. Wrestlers threw themselves over the ropes and into the crowd. They threw each other onto the mat. They jumped on each other, kicked at each other, and looked to have a fun time doing it. Dr. Maldad, looking well over 200 pounds, back flipped off the top rope of the ring in anticipation of his fight. The Crazy Birds flew through the ropes and into the crowd. Dirty Sanchez and Joey Ryan grabbed at each other’s crotches. Jaguar Rojo growled. It was great!

Here is an entire list of the wrestlers: Flamita, Extreme Tiger, Barbaro Cavernario, Dr. Maldad, Joey Ryan, Magno, Lil’ Cholo, Dama Fina, Crazy Chickens, Lil’ Devil, Mariachi Loco, Kikutaro, Katarina, Dirty Sanchez, Jaguar Rojo, Piñatita, and Vampiro Loco. The legendary Platanito refereed and was celebrated for his 45 years of lucha libre experience; Lil’ Cholo was celebrated for his 20 years.

Mexican culture was also celebrated throughout the night with the performer’s use of Spanish, as exemplified by the name of the event: “Circo de Vampiros” (Vampire Circus). Javier Robles announced only in Spanish and his command of the crowd was memorable. “Cabrones” and many other mellifluous profanities were yelled by him to the crowd. Javier’s performance made one want to jump into the ring and join the match. His loud bombastic performance is what one would want and expect at a raucous lucha libre event. “Lucha!” he would yell and “VaVoom!” would be the response of the crowd.

The LGBTQ community was represented at “Noche de Vampiros” from the beginning with the musical performance of Neon Music. She started the night under the spotlight and engaged the crowd from the beginning. Her sexually provocative performance let it be known that sex was definitely part of “Circo de Vampiros.” Towards the end of the night, Karis elegantly disrobed herself to reveal her athletic physique. With the use of a hula hoop, she entertained the crowd as she spun it round and round throughout her choreographed performance. The lighting of the stage and her movements kept the attention of the crowd.

We explicitly want to applaud women of “Circo de Vampiros” for their performances. Kate Minwegan’s acrobatic portrayal of a revengeful sex doll was an acrobatic masterpiece. It seems an appropriate time to portray a strong woman as an indomitable agent of change. Viktoria Modesta, who has overcome a leg disability, was born in Russia and is an exemplary woman, as indicated by her musical success. It was not obvious she was performing with a prosthetic leg, but she has been known to emphasize it artistically. This night she adorned her prosthetic with jewels but it was her performance that mesmerized the crowd. Every person we spoke with enjoyed the show and the diversity of the crowd makes one proud to celebrate the differences of Los Angeles, California.

We strongly recommend that you to go watch Lucha VaVoom’s Valentine’s Day shows on February 13th or 14th, 2019. Here is a link: http://luchavavoom.com/

masked fans at the bar by Andrea Antolini

Barbaro Cavernario and Dr. Maldad by Andrea Antolini

Jaguar Rojo, Vampiro Blanco, Katarina, and Dama Fina by Andrea Antolini

Dirty Sanchez, Joey Ryan, and Lil’ Devil by Andrea Antolini

Jaguar Rojo and Veronica Blanco, Javier Robles in background by Andrea Antolini

out on the smoking patio by Andrea Antolini