Six months of Afternoon Delight

By April Corbin

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 | 3 p.m.

Last month Amanda Morgan had her torso painted to look like the American flag, stood under the words of the First Amendment and read aloud the Bill of Rights.

The act was an expression of love for her country’s constitutionally protected rights, done as part of a variety show Afternoon Delight, held inside a place that understands the importance of protecting freedom better than most: the Erotic Heritage Museum.

The reoccurring event, created by Morgan and held every third Saturday of the month, celebrated its half-birthday last week. Morgan sees that as an accomplishment. “I made something last six months in Las Vegas,” the proud creator told the crowd, some of whom came specifically for the show and some of whom stopped to watch in moments between perusing the museum’s 17,000-plus square feet of erotic art and artifacts. Afternoon Delight is held in the museum’s foyer, which is anchored by a billboard printed with the First Amendment and a timeline of court battles over it.

Morgan, the events and programs coordinator for the museum, is dressed more modestly for the unofficial celebration. Not a hint of body paint on the aspiring sexologist today; instead she dons a floor-length dress and a supportive smile for her costars, who include illusionist Bizzaro Demented and rockers Live Nude Girls. Hosting a variety show inside the Erotic Heritage Museum isn’t always about showcasing eyebrow-raising displays of sexuality like last month’s Bill of Rights piece. Instead, Afternoon Delight is about offering performers in all media (think of comedians who hark about genitalia and singers who curse like sailors) a venue that doesn’t come with the same restraints as typical performance spaces.

Morgan explains: “I’ve worked in coffee shops before where, during open mic nights, you are somewhat limited. You can’t offend the patrons or the management or whoever. [The Erotic Heritage Museum] is a safe place, for both performers and the audience.”