Whore Works works NYC's Kraine Theatre

In the theatre, even downtown New York theatre, it's not every day you get to see two naked black men simulating oral and anal sex. But that's exactly what you'll get when you catch Whore Works, running through May 30 at the East Village's cozy Kraine Theatre.

The young playwright, Juan Michael Porter II, casts himself as a dancer-cum-hustler across from seasoned New York actor Bryan Webster, who plays a variety of rich older johns who hire Porter -- including one nice guy who falls in love with Porter and asks to see him exclusively, and not necessarily for cash. Can Porter's pathologically narcissistic yet intimacy-fearing character, who can't seem to cross the stage without doing an Alvin Ailey high-kick, find true love with the nice guy? Find out.

And though we'll fully disclose that the classically trained Webster is our friend, this was the first time we've seen him onstage, and we were dazzled by how fully he differentiates a handful of very different characters, from an aging record mogul in a hip-hop tracksuit to a manic porn-obsessed sicko with handcuffs to, well, just a nice guy who gets Porter to stop pirouetting just long enough to maybe love him back.

-- TIM MURPHY

Previously > Amanda Palmer goes back to school