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Space opera: Drag queens perform ‘Mozart in Space’

Space opera: Drag queens perform ‘Mozart in Space’
Carlos David

They’ll have a fabulous flight!

An opera company will blast off on Halloween, sending a choir of perfectly coiffed drag queens into outer space in search of extraterrestrial genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The sci-fi spin on the famous composer’s history in “Queens of the Night: Mozart in Space,” which will have two performances at National Sawdust on Oct. 31, will make a glamorous alternative to other spooky shows happening that night, said one of its creators.

“It’s going to be fun and fabulous,” said Ethan Heard, co-artistic director of Heartbeat Opera. “We’re lifting off and heading to the outer space on a mission, and we’ll be encountering aliens from different planets.”

During the hour-long performance, singers, dancers, and instrumentalists will perform excerpts from several of Mozart’s operas, as they travel though the stars looking for the source of the Austrian composer’s genius. The combination of elaborate outfits and arias will appeal to many different audiences, said Heard.

“It will have the costume feel of Halloween — it’s definitely going to feel like a costume party,” he said. “Mozart has really has his music everywhere, and it’s a chance for people to experience tunes they didn’t know they knew. Drag makes it a fabulous party, where you can’t help but have a good time.”

There is a natural connection between drag performance and opera, said Heard.

“Opera is really one of the most expressive art forms,” he said. “You really have to dig deep and make a huge impression and that really reminds me of what a drag performer does — they kind of exaggerate their experience.”

But the aliens in “Queens of the Night” will vary from both the operatic tradition of a “pants role” and from the traditional lip-syncing drag show.

“We’re going to be playing with those traditions — our definition of drag is a little bit more expansive than men in blonde wigs and heels impersonating a woman,” said Heard. “We’re interested in exploding that gender binary and letting each performer be any kind of queer.”

During the show, the alien performers will strut down a runway into the audience, and some members may find themselves the object of queenly attention.

“There are going to be a couple of surprises snuck in,” said Heard. “And one of our aliens may not be too happy.”

“Queens of the Night: Mozart in Space” at National Sawdust [80 N. Sixth St. between Wythe and Kent Avenues in Williamsburg, (646) 779–8455, www.nationalsawdust.org]. Oct. 31 at 7 pm and 10 pm. $25–$50.