A couple years ago, Dan Savage, the snappy and smart sex advice columnist, ran a contest to come up with the best word to describe “woman with dildo practicing butt sex on her male partner," and the winning entry was “pegging." Sophie Nimmannit and John Leo, a young, cute, sexy, straightforward and charming heterosexual couple, have made a very entertaining and informative show out of their enthusiasm for pegging. The piece, directed by Dixon Place’s excellent program director, Leslie Strongwater, is a real audience pleaser; it’s frank, illuminating and theatrical, no matter how you like your bacon. I interviewed the couple over the phone.

Hi Sophie and John. Whoever wants to go first, tell me about how you see your show.

John Leo: For me, the show is a wholesome way to talk about something uncomfortable, to de-mystify something; namely butt-sex in a heterosexual relationship, specifically the penetration of the man by the woman.

I remember reading the Dan Savage column; I’m sure you did too.

JL: That was very inspiring to me. For me, it’s always been a mysterious thing. I thought, “Are there other people who do this?” Then, when there was actually a word describing it, I thought, “So there are other people who do this.” Then I thought, “I can do a show about this,” for people who might be like I was, and inspire them to do this, because I think it’s a fun thing.

You get into other things in the show too.

JL: The show is also about relationships. There is all that about pegging, but it’s more about intimate relationship, and commitment with one another.

Sophie, how do you see the show?
Sophie Nimmannit: The show is very much about celebrating what you enjoy. What I love about the show is being able to tell our story because it sets an example; for others to tell their partners, and their friends, even the community, about their sexuality.

Will you actually demonstrate pegging?

SN: We hesitate to say because the tension is so much fun.

JL: We don’t want to scare people away, because they might think “Ick! Are they going to do it in front of us?” Those are the people that my character is trying to reach, those are the ones that I feel like, because I’m also uncomfortable talking about this. I reflect that back at them. We’re not there to shock them or jam information down their throats.

You mentioned your “character"; do you and Sophie play characters?

JL: My character is sort of precious and scared. Sophie’s character is fun, it’s a fun thing and she is up for it.

Sophie, tell me what we will see in the show.

SN: There is a couple who is going to teach the audience how to peg. We have a variety of demonstrations and techniques; and also how to deal with a partner. But our characters differ, which causes the lesson to go awry, as it reaches the climax.

Is there a happy ending?

SN: There is a happy ending.

JL: Yes, a very happy ending.

Dixon Place, 161 A Chrystie St., (212) 219-0736. Fri. & Sat., 10 p.m. $10 for previews, Oct. 2 & 3. $15 for Oct. 9-24 and $12 for students & seniors.

Photo by Cindy Lopez