Congo Cabaret

Have an illegal cocktail at the queer-friendly Congo Cabaret. 

The fireworks will soon begin.

Written by Quincy LeNear Gossfield and Dr. Robert Philipson

Directed by Deondray and Quincy LeNear Gossfield



Harlem, 1926. A “sweetman” Zeddy, living off a woman, brings a country girl he’s trying to impress to a gay-owned cabaret. There he meets a friend, Jake, whose girlfriend, Congo Rose, is the singer there. Drama swirls around the characters as Zeddy confronts the cabaret owner, about his sexuality. Congo Rose, seeking to reignite her man’s fading interest, puts on a performance, with her Pansy Dancer, of a Bessie Smith song that seduces the whole room, especially Zeddy.