Poetical rants and sexy raves of an affirmative bent are delivered by writer and performer NSangou Njikam to a funky musical mix in his new, not-quite-solo work A Freeky Introduction. It helps to know a tad about Yoruban spiritual traditions to totally appreciate Njikam’s allegorical stories, but his general message is clear and positive: “You can only fly as high as you can think.”
Speaking as a raffish personality named Freeky Dee, Njikam intimates how his character is a Yoruban demigod sent here to bestow upon mortals some liberating wisdom. His opening tale about an eagle born amid a nasty nest of negativity-spewing buzzards signals Freeky Dee’s intentions to lift everybody up.
Casually garbed in red and black, sporting a fedora on his shaven head, Njikam is an affable, regular-looking guy with a gleaming smile who speaks easily to spectators during his 90-minute discourse as Freeky Dee. His cheerfully racy, semi-poetic observations are accented and otherwise aptly underscored with instrumental music spun by a DJ commanding an onstage booth. Marvin Gaye, Busta Rhymes, Beyonce, Adinah Howard and Rick James are among artists whose songs are heard amid the mostly soulful R&B list played by DJ Monday Blue, an exuberant lady in a sparkly aqua frock, who swirls through a brief fan dance.
Dennis A. Allen II, the director of the Atlantic Theater Company production that opened Tuesday, evidently takes pains to forge this little show into a special occasion. The grim, concrete environs of Atlantic Stage 2’s 99-seat underground space have been nicely softened by set designer Jason Ardizzone-West. The usual stadium-style seating is rearranged partly upon the floor so a dozen spectators can view Njikam in close proximity from opposite sides of the performance area. The auditorium’s pillars are outlined in architectural lighting and have been prettily covered in glowing quasi-hieroglyphic murals created by an artist known as Dister.
Not incidentally and situated conveniently by the entrances and exits are bowls heaped with candy, sex toys and condoms to denote those passages that turn frankly heterosexual within Freeky Dee’s divine message about being your best self. Detailed in several expressive episodes, the demigod relates his lusty liaison with a bewitching creature called Liberty, who ultimately betrays him. Although the significance of this allegorical romance remains elusive, its performance at a climactic point sees the entirely clothed actor rolling around the floor in an enthusiastic simulation of ecstatic intercourse – with a wooden stool serving as Liberty’s stand-in. Njikam’s comical rendition of Freeky Dee’s extended, quivering orgasm amused the audience considerably.
Author of the cool 2017 hip-hop play Syncing Ink, among other works, Njikam is a confident, personable, writer-performer whose A Freeky Introduction ultimately proves to be more of a lighthearted entertainment than a deeply enlightening event. Njikam’s gift for writing playful, pungent, at times even rhapsodic language remains notable here with sweet lines such as “We were pressed into each other like footprints in the sand” flashing through his anecdotal text. The tasty, nearly ceaseless music mix curated by Njikam, Blue and Allen lends emotional resonance to the content, as does the romantic lighting provided by designer Sim Carpenter.
A Freeky Introduction opened June 3, 2025 at Atlantic Stage 2 and continues through June 22. Tickets and information: atlantictheater.org
