A HEAUX-LY COMMUNION

Ars Nova kicks off its 2025–2026 season with a salacious and sanctified evening featuring Brandon Kyle Goodman in Heaux Church—a sermon on unabashed self-love (and yes, “Heaux” is pronounced “ho”). You can file this delightful solo show under Off-Broadway, but once you step into the theater… ahem… chapel, it’s clear we’re in a heaux-ly space. Grab a drink, kick back to some tunes from DJ Ari Grooves, and get ready to connect to your inner heaux. (If you still don’t get it, just wait for the donut portion of the show!)

Heaux Church is driven by Goodman (from the TV series Big Mouth and Human Resources), a magnetic and playful performer making an Off-Broadway debut. In addition to being a writer and performer, Goodman is a sexual and mental wellness advocate—a passion that radiates throughout the 90-minute show, which begins with an explanation of the titular re-spelling of a 1960s pejorative for a sex worker. We’re being led on a journey away from patriarchal attitudes about sex and sexual shame. Goodman struts the stage with energy and curiosity, breaking down traditional views on promiscuity, encouraging open and honest conversations about sex, and sharing a few laughs with puppets of genitalia designed and operated by Greg Corbino.

Things slow down when Goodman lingers on shame, sitting close to the front row as the house lights rise, and inviting viewers to share something they’re ashamed about. After each brave confession, hands in the house are raised if other audience members ever felt that way. Shame magically evaporates when you look around and realize you’re not struggling alone. We’re in safe hands, and after this collective exhale, the show eases back into a healthy and heavenly good time.

Undoubtedly, there’s more explicit entertainment elsewhere in New York. Experienced daters and kinksters might find the content mild, while it’s fairly raunchy fare for vanilla folks. Regardless of one’s experience, we can all use a reminder about navigating desire, difficult feelings, and, yes, shame. There’s even a dance after-party on Friday and Saturday nights sponsored by Feeld—a fast-growing dating app that accommodates kink and alternative relationship structures.

The salient sermon benefits from Lisa Owaki Bierman’s steady direction, which keeps the show’s pace lively and punctuated with laughs, while Mr. Grooves handles pre- and post-show tunes and trades easy, companionable banter with our pastor. On Fridays and Saturdays, an after-church party in the Ars Nova Loft.

Heaux Church is a sex-positive service filled with jokes, innuendos, poignant moments, and the personal touch of a jubilant performer in their element. So put on your Sunday finest, bring a lover (or two, or three), and say “Heaux-men.”

photos by Ben Arons

Heaux Church
Ars Nova, 511 W 54th St.
Wed-Sat at 7:30 (doors open at 6:45 for pre-show at 7)
for tickets ($25-$65), visit Ars Nova