The Ritual Joy of Queer Performance Refuses to Give Up
Reigning diva Amygdala brings Brooklyn drag to Manhattan in “Pleasure Dome: Continuum,” a fête of therapeutic sound, vaudeville tributes, and queer politics.
Selena Surreal delivered a piercing performance, with Amygdala leading the way as the reigning diva of the L train. This Manhattan variety show at Madison Square Park-adjacent multimedia art space, Pleasure Dome: Continuum, took advantage of the unique room layout by distributing performances around it for optimal viewing. Performances included projections on curtains, diva anthems, body piercing, and elegant ensembles that would make RuPaul envious.
The event became a celebration of therapeutic sound, queer political rallying, vaudeville tribute, and a vibe manifesto for a city that constantly reinvents itself. The performance featured a Brechtian stylings, surgical strikes at billionaires, right-wing hysteria, and exhaustion by RuAfza, which left a hole-y Elon Musk in its wake. Selena Surreal brought Modern Primitivism to the evening with sensual piercings that left beautiful streaks of blood and a moving set to Radiohead's "Exit Music (For a Film)."
Julie J's diva moments commanded the crowd's attention with her commanding elegance as she transported the audience to Sunset Boulevard, performing Nicole Scherzinger's version of "As If We Never Said Goodbye" in a rousing rendition. Amygdala guided the audience through this queer Xanadu in song and readings, sharing the thoughts of ancestors and their identities, fears, motivations, drive to exist and survive, and seek pleasure.
The event's purpose was not entertainment but necessity, as queer art is in danger in the face of right-wing resurgence.
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