It’s Valentine’s Day and Harlem Stage has been adorned with red roses, satin ribbons and pink aluminum wrapped chocolates. Upstairs, the main performance room has transformed into an intimate underground speakeasy: circular bistro tables draped in black table cloth fill the room, chairs packed tightly around them; a rose-petal covered bar at the back serves champagne in tall, winding flutes; The stage, framed under an elegant Romanesque arch is bathed in sultry red light.
We, in the audience are no longer confined to our dates or small groups - The space allows us to become one, wills us to get close, get comfortable, and get ready to get sexy. We are a diverse group including queer folks, people of color, lovers and friends, getting ready to celebrate our sexuality.
As the show begins, two dancers in tight corsets, their long legs painted with blossoming flowers, saunter through the crowd. They make their way to the stage as a four-part band backs an enthusiastic spoken word artist in a blue beaded wig. The riveting piece crescendos into a three part harmony with a second vocalist and the saxophone, and the poet squeals and dances with uncontrolled passion. Our excited applause begins over the few final saxophone notes.
The lights raise and our second performer, the comic Regie Cabico takes the stage. Cabico wears colored zebra striped pants and a turquoise feather boa, priming us for the impending fabulosity to ensue. He launches into an ode to his former lovers, an interactive poem. We in the audience are captivated, and not sure what to expect as he walks between the tables passing out Godiva chocolates and recounting hilarious anecdotes of failed relationships.
Mo Beasley, the host, founder and emcee of UrbanErotika, takes the stage after Regie and really solidified the themes of the night: interaction, fluidity, and uninhibited fun. He laughs lightheartedly and asks us questions. We shout responses and join in the laughter. Beasley’s emcee style feels like talking to an old friend, which draws us together as an audience, breaking down any shyness or discomfort we might have had. The intimacy level Beasley achieved was a crucial aspect of the performance. As the show became progressively sexier, we were able to react to the performers and to each other without a shred of embarrassment.
After reciting a light hearted and only slightly raunchy poem about “thick thighs in tight skirts,” Beasley introduces the next band. Nemiss ChiYork’s girly yet strong voice coupled with the rhythmic keys and rolling basslines, cultivate an energy that has the audience members nodding their heads along and swaying in their chairs.
The first act rolls into the second as Beasley, laughing, lets the audience know that there will be no intermission and if we were planning on leaving, well, we’re here now. We laugh and cheer to welcome act two, which hits us like a ton of bricks. We launch into (quite literally) the climax of the show, with three vivid, visceral, erotic poems by Brendan Gillett, Peter “Rainmaker” Seaton, and Jai Simone. We, the audience were moved to gasps, sighs, giggles, moans, firm claps of agreement and shudders of remembered ecstasy.
At the show’s end, after a slow dance competition and an invitation to the after party, the audience and the cast are one big family. After sharing such vulnerable experiences around something as relationally taboo as sexuality, especially within the context of queerness and blackness, our spirits are light and we are ready to share our love with our lucky valentines.
RECOMMENDED
Mo Beasley’s “UrbanErotika”
FEATURING PERFORMERS
Aleijuan Afuraka
Jennifer Armas
Mo Beasley
Regie Cabico
Nemiss ChiYork
Brendan Gillett
Peter “Rainmaker” Seaton
ShyePoet
Jai Simone
The SoulFolk Experience featuring Maritri
and body painting by Adriana Guzman
To learn more about upcoming events at the Harlem Stage, visit their website. Follow the UrbanErotika Instagram page to learn more about the experience.
Photos: Marc Millman
