ArtPhilly’s What Now festival presents Andrea Clearfield and Cookie Diorio’s Long Live the Queen: A Herstory of Drag

It was a huge collaboration, with support and development by Theatre Exile and featuring the voices of the ANNA Crusis Feminist Choir, Philadelphia Voices of Pride, Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia, members of Singing City, and the musicians of Orchestra 2001. Exile producing artistic director Deborah Block directed. (Learn more about the project here.)

Escaping genres

The project resists easy categorization, combining drag, opera, cabaret, and multimedia oratorio scored for drag soloist, four choirs, a quartet of opera soloists, and chamber orchestra. For a first-time collaboration between Diorio and Clearfield, and Diorio’s first libretto, it was impressive. Many moving pieces came together to showcase how multidisciplinary artists can be more than the sum of their parts.

While cross-genre work can be exciting, it can also lack depth and a strong sense of identity. The overall narrative arc and art of storytelling here could use some work. Diorio was at her strongest as a performer, drag queen, and opera singer, captivating the audience with her stage presence.

More history needed

Beginning with a prologue, the work features three parts and a finale. In Part 1, dubbed “Before (When)”, comprising a piece titled “Meet and Greet: The Introduction”, I would’ve liked more history. The playbill calls the show “the history of drag, its role in queer culture, and its power to challenge systems and spark change.”

The main point covered in Part 1 was an explanation of en travesti (Italian for “in disguise”), which is a character performed by a member of the opposite sex, dating back to the 17th century. Since there is such a rich history from Vaudeville, the queering of drag, Marsha P. Johnson and her role in Stonewall, and much more, I was disappointed that there wasn’t more history or homage to those who came before.

An interior conflict

Part 2, “Now (The Conflict)” comprising “Drag Show: The Grand Reveal” is where the music and libretto came together best. The song is about how Diorio’s community is perceived as weeds, but it’s a matter of perspective—they are actually beautiful wildflowers that refuse to die. The lyricism and artistry of the wildflower motif was a good throughline, but I wish the conflict of the piece was more external.

Diorio explores the inner feelings of fear, insecurity, shame, and rage holding her back from being her true self. But given ArtPhilly’s prompt of “What Now?”, the political climate, the legislative persecution of trans folks, the slander against drag queens, and the overall climate of fear caused by Trump administration, I expected more of the conflict to be external and political. There was one section that focused on our current situation, but it seemed more of an aside than core to the plot.

Breaking the opera mold

Part 3: “Forward (Where)” which featured “After party: The Re-Evolution” made the most sense to me as the drag-ification of opera. It broke the mold of traditional operatic music and scoring, for more hopeful and upbeat jazzy songs. Hope is the answer to the inner demons and fear. The hook of “the light of limitless love is a possibility” felt like a mouthful, but the joyful atmosphere (with singers at one point bracketing the whole audience) worked as a conclusion.

Overall, the parts that broke opera conventions, like the third act, and parts where Diorio inhabited her drag persona engaging the audience, had the most heart and connection. Diorio’s performance as a drag queen and opera singer were really impressive. Diorio’s costumes echoed the storyline, with a structured, 18th-century gown in the first act as she dove into history, a mermaid dress as she was constrained by inner demons in the second, and a shorter mid-thigh fringed dress in the third that allowed the most freedom of movement (Michelle Biddle-Rowland is credited as wardrobe supervisor).

This piece is a thoughtful examination of a drag queen’s personal story and evolution. It is a promising new work and an impressive collaborative feat. With additional work on the storyline, this piece could be an even more powerful critique of where we are at America’s 250th anniversary and what it means to live joyfully as an act of resistance.