Confessions of a Homo Thug Porn Star: Bisexual play review

A cute blatino guy came out on stage with nothing on but a white towel and muscles. Based on the life of bisexual porn star turned director and entrepreneur Tiger Tyson, this one-act, one-man play begins with physical nudity, then peels down the other areas of Tyger's life, including the fact that, although his business is man-on-man porn, he is happily married...to a woman. But Tiger doesnt hide behind "gay for pay," he openly claims his bisexuality, which is captured in the script:

*"Like, there’s some law that says you can’t dig women and men? Some of
these -- well, ain’t no other way to say it -- punks just don’t get
it. Every dude that likes dudes ain’t gay, and even those dudes that
are gay don’t have to walk around wit’ a rainbow flag tattooed on
their f***in’ forehead. Some mutha-f***a tried comin’ at me the other
day wit’ some s**t about me bein’ on the down low. Say what? How’m I
on the down low, mutha-f***a? I put my s**t out there for you to see,
in dolby and HD!" 

[copyright 2009, 2010 by james earl hardy]

"Confessions of a Homo Thug Porn Star" was on a double bill with "Pinero Resurected" last week at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival. According to "same-gender-loving" playwright James Earl Hardy (author of the popular B-Boy Blues book series), Tiger approached him to write his biography, but he felt a play would be a better medium to show off the full range of his larger-than-life character. Hardy auditioned 100 men before finding the right actor to play Tiger.

Jonathan Cedano, who starred as the swaggering Brooklyn-born bisexual blatino, told me backstage:

"I've always known people who identified as bisexual or expressed both attractions. What's the big deal about being attracted to both?"

Hardy captures the positive spirit of the man who went from rags to robbery to prison to success... in the adult film industry. I admire someone, in any field, who goes from being at the mercy of their profession to finding a way to be their own boss and provide jobs for others. In Tiger's case, he went from porn actor to porn star to directing his own films and running his own company.

Although the script seemed a bit cliche at times, the play's presentation of Tiger's bisexuality and personality was quite refreshing. Cedano's performance crackled with the energy of a live wire and the play brought to life the story of a true character.

James Earl Hardy:

"To be such a larger-than-life figure, Tiger is such a mellow,
easy-going gent. I hope the play provides his fans and others with a
more complex picture of him as a man, a son, a father, a husband, a
businessman. After all, porn stars are people, too."

Tiger was in the house the night of the performance and gave "Confessions" the thumbs up.

Below is a powerful poem written by Hardy for a speech he was asked to give at NYC's Pride Rally in NYC a decade ago. I found it on his facebook page and he has allowed me to reprint it here.

PRIDE

DIFFERENT
is what his Mama called him
"He's special
He's sensitive
He's sweet
He's my Baby
No child of mine can be that way
It's a phase
He'll grow out of it"
But even she knew that wasn't true

*FA&&OT
is what his father called him
A fruit
A fairy
"Boy, take your hands off your hips!"
"Boy, don't you roll them eyes at me!"
"Boy, don't be suckin' your teeth!"
"Boy, don't..."
Soon his father stopped saying don't
His father stopped saying boy
He just stopped

SISSY
is what his older brother called him
Cause he threw and ran like a girl
Played with Barbie
Jumped rope
But they must've been the right things to do
Cause he became an A student
and his brother wound up in jail

FUNNY
is what his Nana called him
Too neat, too nice
Too much sugar, too much spice
In his bowl
"Get him in church, he need Jesus!
Jesus gonna save him!" she testified
And Jesus did
At least that's what the minister said
Every Wednesday night after choir practice
When he had him fall on his knees
But not to pray

PUNK
is what the block boy called him
He always had a 40 in one hand
a blunt in the other
Gyratin that pelvis like Elvis
Kissin the air as he walked by
Announcin to the ïhood
"Ain't no n**** s'pose to switch!"
"Ain't no n****'s ass s'pose to twitch!"
But he always knew that was the cue
to meet on that roof top
that night at midnight
and once again be his bitch

QUEEN
is what his good girlfriend called him
He taught her how to wear that wardrobe
beat that face
walk that runway
and give the Chil'ren grace!
Ah, and don't forget the hair!
Wash and wear weaves
Pass the hot comb, would you please!
But she was jealous
You would be, too
If your best friend
looked better in your drag
than you

STRAIGHT
is what City Hall called him
Marriage and a baby carriage
One child, a boy
No home in the 'burbs
Just three small rooms in a tenement
A car that needs a new battery
Too many bills to pay
And no money in the bank
But it was still the American dream
And he knew it would please everyone
except himself

BI
is what she called him...out on
When she came home from work early that night
and found them naked on the living room floor
The next door neighbor's teenage son
on top of and inside of her husband
as their son lay asleep in their bedroom
What could he say?
There was no fighting, no high drama
Her harshest words: "You're a freak!"
And she took off like Tina
but she had the car keys
and she didn't leave the baby behind
and he hasn't seen them since

QUEER
is what the white folks called him
Act-Up Come Out of the closet
Do Ask and Do Tell
Silence Doesn't Have To Equal Death
Wear a Pink Triangle
Wave a Rainbow Flag
But he soon sensed that this fight
was to protect the divine right of white
And the European he called his lover
just couldn't
or wouldn't
understand

GAY
is what the world called him
It's a short-cut, shorthand
A convenience
A fantasy
A lie
He doesn't feel...gay?
Could someone explain how he's supposed to?
But nobody can cause nobody knows
And the anxiety, the angst, the anger grows

But today he knows something else
he knows someone new
It ain't about a name
that's all a game
What somebody else thinks
What somebody else wants
What somebody else is
He always looked in the eyes of others
to define who he is
But now he looks in a mirror
and the beauty of his own dark brown eyes
he loves in another's
He's no longer a figment of his own imagination
or someone else's nightmare
He's not on the outside looking in
He looked inside -- himself -- and found it

And PRIDE
is what he called it

[copyright 1997 by james earl hardy]

*Words considered curses or hate speech won't post to Examiner.com (even if used for artistic purposes in the spirit of taking them back) so some letters had to be changed in those words.