A Stimulating Evening of Irish Poetry and Prose.

The sizzling "Sapphire Jones"

Last night, in honor of St. Patrick's day, I went to see an Irish literature reading entitled, "The Emerald Isle". As soon as I walked into the dark, sultry upstairs lounge at Madame X, it was clear that something was off —that something was the clothing of the readers.... Naked Girls Reading NYC was in the midst of its monthly event at the lounge that hosts, very matter-of-factly, naked girls, reading.

I arrived to see four beautiful, and very naked (bottoms included!) women sitting at the front of the room, sipping cocktails, and a fifth woman, a brunette bombshell pin-up type, who goes by the name of "RunAround Sue," reading George Bearnard Shaw at the microphone. RunAround Sue is wearing nothing but red, fishnet thigh-highs, and high heels. Her eyelids are adorned with sparkling green glitter in a tribute, I imagine, to Saint Patrick himself. I unexpectedly find that I cannot keep my eyes off of her...face. She is absolutely stunning, and she reads with character.

I glance around the room and notice that there appears to be a disproportionate amount of older gentleman who are attending the reading alone, and I am not sure what to make of this. However, I am told that the crowd is typically younger and more co-ed, and I do not doubt it. Personally, I just came for the literature, really, I did. I also notice that, as beautiful as the women are, a couple of them could stand to eat a cheeseburger now and again.

As the evening continues, the girls recite poetry and prose selections from James Joyce, W.B.Yates, Jonathan Swift,  Desmond Hogan, and Bram Stoker, among others. "Honi Harlow"'s reading of "Dracula" particularly titillates me. (Like many, I had believed that Mr. Stoker was English-born, and was surprised to learn that he was actually an Irishman). I learn that Stoker was born in Dublin, but emigrated to England, where he eventually managed the Lyceum Theatre and penned his immortal novel. I become so engrossed in Ms. Harlow's reading that I almost forget that she is standing there stark naked. 

Sexy Sapphire Jones, whose sheer beauty commands attention and who stands out, not simply because of her height, but because of her seemingly intrinsic theatrical ability and superb comedic timing, also really grabs me with her blithe reading of Jonathan's Swift's poem, A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed.

In fact, although the nudity was an amusing gimmick, I found that the ladies generally held their own, reading with feeling, emotion and wit, and I do not believe that the addition of clothing would have made it any less interesting.

For more information on the Naked Girls, see here. 

Naked Girls Reading NYC performs on the third Thursday of every month at Madame X, located at 94 Houston Street, off of Thompson. The next event, "The Seven Deadly Sins," will take place at Madame X on Thursday, April 21, at 8pm. Tickets are $15 for standing room, $25 for reserved seating with one drink, or $40 for a package for two that includes reserved seating and a drink for each attendee. They can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets (but be careful, the website is confusing! Make sure you confirm how many tickets you are purchasing before you hit "submit order," as there are no refunds).