Cate Elizabeth and David Maiocco
Bathhouse Bette and Barry
ACT2PV, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, January 26,2026
Reviewed by Lynn Timmons Edwards
In a town reeling with cabaret talent, Cate Elizabeth and David Maiocco are at the pinnacle of their game. They share a professional partnership as well as a deep friendship based on mutual respect and the resulting magic. Please read the article on Goose & Gander Greatest Productions at https://cabaretscenes.org/2026/02/06/meet-david-maiocco-and-cate-elizabeth-of-goose-gander-greatest-production and their oversight of the ACT2PV nightclub, which includes the Casa Karma Red Room where “Bette” and “Barry” held court.
The show is a celebration of the early collaboration that was born at the Continental Baths where Barry Manilow was the house pianist (1968-1971) and Bette Midler was hired to entertain the boys, who sometimes were wearing merely a towel. Her act became so popular that eventually elite New Yorkers were clamoring to get in to the exclusive men’s club. Their cabaret show illuminates those days and also features the songs that made both artists superstars. The opening medley took us through at least six tunes before Elizabeth took off on “Going to the Chapel” (Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich & Phil Spector) and “Leader of the Pack” (George Morton/Barry and Greenwich), two of Midler’s covers from back in the day. Elizabeth was best on “Superstar” (Leon Russell/Bonnie Bramlett) where she used her gorgeous mezzo belt along with her skill at vocal dynamics and storytelling. She delighted us with Midler’s signature song “Friends” (Buzzy Linhart & Mark Klingman) and brought the show to a close by reprising it. Elizabeth is a buxom blonde who has the acting chops to pull off Midler singing as Delores DeLago and telling Sophie Tucker jokes. Just when you thought you have heard them all, she came up with one more story about Ernie or Clementine and proved that blue humor is timeless. Elizabeth is starring as Velma in ACT2PV’s upcoming production of Chicago that opens on February 6. I predict she will knock it out of the park.
Maiocco has a list of achievements both as a MAC-winning Music Director (when he was only 29) and has spent decades of touring his as his alter ego Liberace, both as a soloist and accompanist. At those MAC Awards, where Manilow received the MAC Lifetime Achievement Award, Maiocco referred to their age difference. Perhaps that was not the best first impression! His skill at the piano is unmatched, except perhaps when Mark Hartman is in residence. (As an aside, Hartman’s 9 pm Saturday open mic is an SRO affair in the ACT2PV Ovations Bar. Maiocco and Elizabeth host an open mic there on Thursday evenings.)
Maiocco took time to talk about Manilow as well as his own childhood experience with the music of the 1970s. As a seven-year-old in 1975 living in Connecticut, he fell in love with “Weekend in New England” (Randy Edelman). As a classically trained pianist he was thrilled that a pop song, “Could It Be Magic” (Manilow & Adrienne Anderson), opened with a Chopin quotation. He took us back to the Manilow-composed jingles for State Farm and McDonalds, which Manilow sold for pennies. These reflections could use some tightening and Elizabeth’s voice to create harmony. Maiocco is brilliant when he collaborates with a singer as he does in Bette and Barry. Everything flowed; there was not even one second of dead time, and the energy level just kept building.
Elizabeth and Maiooco crafted a section of songs from hit movies that included selections from For the Boys, Hocus Pocus, Foul Play, and Beaches. “Wind Beneath My Wings” (Jeff Silber & Larry Henley) brought the movie songs to their peak, along with Maiocco’s medley arrangement of “Shiver Me Timbers” (Tom Wait) and “The Rose” (Amanda McBroom). After the reprise of “Friends” the duo offered one of the few songs that Manilow and Midler ever recorded together: “On a Slow Boat to China” (Frank Loesser). Elizabeth and Maiocco were comfortable on stage together, and their playfulness and banter were natural and made the audience feel like family. They opened this cabaret show two months ago and usually perform it weekly in the Casa Karma room. They have kept it fresh and also used it as a preview for an upcoming show: Peggy’s Back starring Chuck Sweeney as Peggy Lee.
The Romantico District in Puerto Vallarta is beaming with cabaret, open mics, drag shows, and more. But check first at www.act2PV.com; they often have shows at five, seven, and nine pm. Many are tribute shows sung by singers of both genders, but some are original cabarets, and Bathhouse Bette and Barry was one of the best.
