I have to start by admitting something: I was late to Mentiras All Stars. Like, probably missed the opening couple of songs late. But thankfully, we weren’t THAT late, because by the time we found our seats, the cast was still introducing themselves—and almost immediately, I was completely drawn into the show.

From the moment we sat down, Mentiras All Stars felt like exactly the kind of larger-than-life pop-culture experience you expect it to be. The cast was giving, the vocals were there, the production was huge, and the audience was READY.

Now, was everything perfect? Absolutely not.

There were some technical difficulties throughout the show. During a few performances, the elevators built into the stage seemed to freeze, leaving members of the cast suddenly having to run around the stage like headless chickens trying to keep the performance moving. But honestly? They recovered quickly, and more importantly, the show never lost its energy.

Whatever went wrong behind the scenes, the cast kept delivering.

And I have to talk about Danna.

Quoting the trans women sitting around me, Danna was basically the cherry on top of the entire show. Her performance of La Gata Bajo la Lluvia had everyone on the edge of their seats. And those vocals? She did not disappoint.

Then there was Belinda performing De Color de Rosa. Now, if you’ve seen the videos from the shows in Mexico, you probably know what I’m talking about: Belinda flies across the stage.

Well… not in Los Angeles.

And I’m not going to lie—that was a little disappointing because social media had absolutely spoiled us and made me expect to see her flying too. But even without the flying moment, the entire cast continued to serve, and the vocals were absolutely there.

For the time I was actually in that theater, I was having a damn good time.

Unfortunately, I eventually had to leave during the intermission because I had to go to work. I had originally assumed this was going to be more like a regular concert that would wrap up around 10 or 10:30. Then I realized: oh… this is an actual theatrical production. 😂

So, sadly, I didn’t get to see the entire show.

And while I was disappointed that I couldn’t experience Mentiras All Stars from beginning to end, I have to admit there was one silver lining to leaving early: some of the people around me were becoming increasingly obnoxious. There were people dropping beers on the floor, singing horribly, and generally making enough noise that leaving the theater wasn’t exactly the worst thing in the world.

But the show itself?

FIRE.

Despite being late, despite the technical problems, despite not getting to see Belinda fly in the giant shoe, and despite having to leave before the show was finished, I still walked away feeling like I had experienced something special.

Mentiras All Stars is more than just a collection of performances. It’s one of those moments where Mexican pop culture, nostalgia, theater, music, camp, and a whole lot of personality come together in one place.

And getting to experience that in Los Angeles—with a theater full of Latinos losing their minds over songs they grew up with—was something I’m genuinely glad I got to witness.

I just wish I could have stayed until the damn end.