O18 Festival: Opera Philadelphia presents John Jarboe's 'Queens of the Night'

Conceived and directed by John Jarboe, leader of the local performance art collective Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Queens of the Night draws on the cult popularity of Martha Graham Cracker — the hairy, seven-foot-tall drag persona of Pig Iron Theatre Company cofounder Dito van Reigersberg — and the good humor of Stephanie Blythe, one of opera’s most personable and engaging performers.

The pair met during the 2017 Opera Philadelphia run of Tancredi, starring Blythe, and found they had instant chemistry. A one-off benefit concert resulted. The success of that event now leads to an expanded multipart version, imagining a backstory that melds their separate spheres of performance.

Preening peacock

Gussied up in stylishly coiffed facial hair and an elegant patchwork smoking jacket (costumes by Taylor Mac couturier Machine Dazzle), Blythe becomes Blythely Oratonio, a preening peacock of a tenor who melts hearts with his “Nessun dorma.” Blythe offered a superb party trick by opening her portion of the show, entitled “Blythely After Hours,” with a stirring rendition of that Puccini aria sung in key.

In that moment, she embodied all the virtues of good drag — the sublime transgression of gender lines, the stab at veracity with an underlying wink toward camp. She elevated drag and pulled opera off its pedestal.

Alas, the program doesn’t always remain so slyly self-aware. Its overarching narrative theme — a budding romance between Blythely and Martha — feels shoehorned in, a roadblock rather than a lodestar. And van Reigersberg’s contribution, despite the musically cheeky title “Fauréplay,” largely doesn’t transcend the usual trappings of drag performance or show interest in integrating classical forms.

Pound for pound, “Blythely After Hours” made for a more enjoyable overall experience. Blythe commanded the stage with practiced ease, her resonant mezzo timbre imparting authority even in spoken dialogue. She occasionally went up on lines but handled each instance like a pro, turning them into moments for witty audience engagement.

Blythe applied the skills she’s honed as a leading interpreter of the Great American Songbook — keen grasp of text, sparkling elocution, plentiful rubato — to the pop-rock repertoire, with pleasing results. I doubt I’ll ever again hear Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” sung with the same amount of stentorian authority. She frequently found humorous ways to blend high and low art, as when her rousing “Vesti la giubba” (from Pagliacci) segued into an introspective, moving “Send in the Clowns.”

Fan favorite

That sense of balance seemed largely absent from “Fauréplay,” which largely emerged as a rambling, discursive monologue for Dito-as-Martha. In that sense, it hardly felt different from a standard-issue Martha Graham Cracker cabaret, a familiar commodity to Philly audiences.

That feeling was evidenced by a preponderance of Martha groupies, who whooped, clapped, and snapped before many of her jokes reached their punchlines. As Miss Jean Brodie once said: for those who like that sort of thing, it is the sort of thing they like.

I generally don’t like that sort of thing — but more to the point, I don’t see how it relates to opera. When Blythe is onstage, her chops and Jarboe’s dramaturgy come together to make it work. The result is a piquant amalgamation of classical and contemporary singing.

In Martha’s act, the mix barely registers. A guest appearance by soprano Patricia Racette, playing a fictionalized version of herself as a highfalutin vocal coach, was largely wasted on a litany of hoary double entendre.

Blythe has better luck with guests. Brenda Rae, Opera Philadelphia’s current Lucia di Lammermoor, appeared with a fashionable fur stole draped over her blood-soaked costume. Accompanying herself on piano, she launched into Tori Amos’s “Winter,” accurately mimicking the singer’s idiosyncratic vocal style. Blythe and Rae were less successful in a mash-up of Journey’s “Faithfully” and ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All,” but their high spirits compensated for any imperfections.

Current Curtis students Ashley Marie Robillard and Siena Licht Miller dropped in for a gorgeous rendition of the "Flower Duet" from Lakmé, their heads festooned in cardboard blossoms. Their lovely harmonies segued into “God Bless America,” a nod to Blythe favorite Kate Smith.

Blythely and Martha’s romance concludes on September 28, with a shared evening called Dito & Aeneas. Perhaps in the context of performing together, Blythe and Van Reigersberg will inspire a more seamless combination of their respective art forms.