For those that failed to research Monica Naranjo’s “Madame Noir” event before heading out to L.A.’s The Orpheum Theatre on February 26, the performance of the Spanish pop-diva may have been disappointing. But that’s not to say that “La Naranjo” did not bare her soul on the stage as she is known to do, but simply because “Madame Noir” is not a concert.
“Madame Noir” is a cabaret, musical and theatrical spectacle combined. It’s a narrative story with scenes acted out by the performer and other cast members. On the night of Naranjo’s Orpheum Theatre performance, the singer surprised everyone by beginning the show through the rear of the venue. When the first notes were heard blazing from her throat, the audience expected to see her appear on stage. But in true diva fashion, her grand entrance caught everyone by surprise and had them looking and applauding towards the rear of the venue instead.
Naranjo made her return to the stage loud and clear. Throughout the show, her voice was accompanied by nothing more than a piano and although she didn’t sing any of her greatest hits and only performed a handful of songs, when performed acapella by powerful vocalist they were enough to leave the audience stone cold in awe.
She was incredibly approachable throughout the length of the show and often replied to the shouted comments by overly excited attendees. At one point, a female spectator went on stage and Naranjo received her by placing her head on her chest. After a few minutes of allowing the fan to rest comfortably on Naranjo’s bosom, the singer asked her is she wanted more. Of course, the lucky aficionada stated “yes!” and Naranjo held her head on her breast for another few minutes.
The show was full of these types of sexual surprises throughout the night. And of course they were tastefully presented the way only someone with a femme fatale persona such as the diva could pull off.
You could smell the sexual tension in the air and when Naranjo placed one of the female actors of the play in front of her to give the illusion that she was giving Naranjo vaginal oral stimulation, the crowd welcomed it with cheer and applause. Needless to say, the show was very erotic.
All throughout the venue were rainbow flags hanging as decorations and I was very glad to see that supporting the show was Bienestar, a non profit group that supports underserved communities in Los Angeles and that has for years served as an advocate for Latino gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender rights, which are all groups that serve as a major portion of Naranjo’s loyal fan base.
So although the attendees that were expecting a typical Naranjo concert may have left the venue feeling a bit empty, I’m sure they were excited to see that their hero, their femme fatale can still draw a crowd that regardless of age or sexual preference can come together to enjoy a night of good music and great entertainment. I know I was.
* The pictures that I took of the event turned out horrible. So I hope that with words I was able to illustrate the wonderful show that “Madame Noir” was.
