PROVOCATIVE P-VALLEY
The Southern Strip Club Series On Starz
When a person thinks of a strip club, images of men putting money in women’s thongs come to mind. Perhaps that’s because most of what we know about stripping comes from a male perspective. Now, the playwright/creator Katori Hall brings the female gaze to the profession in the upcoming Starz series P-Valley.
Set in the Mississippi Delta, P-Valley follows a group of women of color and their non-binary leader at a small club in that Southern state. The show is based on Hall’s play Pussy Valley. (Yes, that’s what the “P” stands for.) Instead of taking an overly sexualized look at strippers, a crew of female directors cast recorded approving observations of the women. That approach was the intention for the series all along.
“At the end of the day, every person deserves their story to be told,” Hall said. “There is this long history of hypersexualized images of black women — these women exist but they are very nuanced, complicated. They have a space for their voices to shine. Right now is the perfect time for this show because we have an America that is screaming to be heard…what’s so beautiful about the show is that all kinds of people are represented.”
The cast is relatively fresh, most have appeared in guest roles on TV shows. Brandee Evans plays Mercedes; Elarica Johnson plays Autumn Night and Nicco Annan is Uncle Clifford. With stunning neon visuals and a provocative plot, PROVOKR knows you will love this Starz series. Check it out when it starts July 12.
