STAGE REVIEW : Funny, Moving Portraits of Black Gay Life

SAN DIEGO —  They describe themselves as “flamboyant and dull, pious and perverse. We are the Who’s Who and the Who’s Not.”

The three men make up the San Francisco-based performing group Pomo Afro Homos (post-modern African-American homosexuals) and, again in their own words, they are “on the outside of the outside of society.”

Pomo Afro Homos presents its sometimes wickedly funny, sometimes sad and invariably moving personal tales in “Fierce Love: Stories From Black Gay Life” through tonight at Sushi Performance Gallery.

The 12 vignettes, which premiered in San Francisco in January, move like a freedom train crafted piece by piece by the gifted men who are both the show’s writers and performers: Brian Freeman, Djola B. Branner and Eric Gupton.

The evening starts with the trio unshackling themselves from imprisoning stereotypes (by sending up the effeminate film critics on Fox’s “In Living Colour”) to finding, finally, the freedom that comes with awareness and self-love. Some of the stops on this train seem like false stops, thrown in for laughs, just to break up the tension (a puzzling rap song about red bandannas and a skit about an opera-bound man that seems more idea than finished piece.)

But most exude dignity for black gays, a group that has not seen much of that, either from gay white society or straight blacks.

One of the poignant gems in the 75-minute show is “Sad Young Man,” narrated by Freeman, a piece about a young African-American at an Ivy League college desperately fighting his gay desires. He even makes a date with an African-American girl, describes their twin Afros at an open-air concert as making them look like “two black dandelions in a field of 1,000,” adding tenderly, “It was like a dream.” Then he pulls back harshly and amends, “Someone else’s.”

Another moving story is Branner’s of going to a funeral of a black gay friend, only to have the sermon usurped by the uptight reverend brother of that friend who brings in a guest speaker to give a tirade against homosexuality. Still another is Gupton’s graphic and proud exultation of his sexuality in “Good Hands.”

The weaker, briefer pieces directly follow the mystical, musical opening. The weak moments give the feeling that the three are at first dawdling at the edge of the water--as if they are all a little nervous about plunging into the deep end. But once they go for it, the evening builds, until the final segment harks back to the opening with surprising power, tying the whole evening together.

Freeman, who directed the piece, spent eight years performing with the San Francisco Mime Troupe, where he honed his talent for smashing stereotypes. The Mime Troupe’s production of “I Ain’t Yo’ Uncle: The New Jack Revisionist Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” now at the San Diego Rep, attacks Uncle Tom stereotypes, not unlike Pomo Afro Homos’ attack on black gay stereotypes.

The costumes by Eugene (Yo) Rodriguez are simple but effective: a variety of tops--from plain to flashy--over dark jeans and white sneakers. The choreography by Branner is brief but spirited, and the a cappella music by Gupton is simple but haunting.

Part of the troupe’s strength undeniably comes from the newness of the territory it explores. Though some of the material may miss, the trio reminds the audience, “These are just some of our stories.” There are hints all the way through “Fierce Love” that these three performers have just begun to explore the richness of their lives. Their best work may be on its way.

“FIERCE LOVE: STORIES

FROM BLACK GAY LIFE”

Written and performed by Bernard Djola Branner, Brian Freeman and Eric Gupton. Director is Freeman. Costumes by Eugene (Yo) Rodriguez. Choreography by Branner. A cappella music by Gupton. Final two shows are at 8 and 10 p.m. today at Sushi Performance Gallery, 852 8th Ave., San Diego. 235-8466.