A drag queen brings new fan base to Opera Colorado

Opera Colorado opened its 2024-25 season with the romantic comedy "The Daughter of the Regiment." It's a fun, rollicking story about the lengths people will go for love.

"La Fille Du Regiment" or "The Daughter of the Regiment" is a French opera written by Gaetano Donizetti. The libretto was written by Jules-Henri Vernoy De Saint-Georges and Jean-Francois Bayard. It was first performed in 1840 in Paris, and quickly became popular in part because of the famous aria "Ah! mes amis, quell jour de fete!" which requires the tenor to sing eight high C notes.

"I always think 'La Fille Du Regiment' is a great gateway opera. If you're like on the fence of, 'Do I?' 'Is Opera boring?' 'Will I like it?' 'I don't think I'll like it?' I think it's a good gateway one because it's a drama. It's funny. It has a lot of the good bits of opera that I like," said Monet X Change, who sings the role of the Duchess of Krackenthorp.

"The Daughter of the Regiment" has the plot of a Hallmark movie. A young girl is orphaned. She is raised among the soldiers of the 21st Regiment of the French army. Fearless and uncivilized, Marie falls in love with an outsider. Just when her true love, Tonio, joins the army so they can be together, a long-lost aunt arrives on the scene to escort Marie to a new life. Marie is resistant to efforts to turn her into a lady, and she rebels to a plan to marry her off to a duke. The Regiment shows up, secrets are revealed, and all ends as it should.

Opera Colorado hired Monet X Change to play the part of the Duchess of Krackenthorp, who wants Marie to marry the duke.

"We have a little deal we're trying to strike here, and I think all is going to go according to plan. But, you know, as they do in opera something goes awry, and I get very angry," Monet X Change explained. "I wish I could be meaner. I wish I was the villain of the story, but I'm just a disgruntled rich person."

Monet X Change gained notoriety on RuPaul's Drag Race. She appeared on the reality TV show four times and won the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars. That's where she showed her talent for opera singing. Monet X Change studied music education and opera performance in college.

"Now, here we are 12 years later. It's a full-circle moment. After I sang the aria on Drag Race, it all kind of came back around," she told CBS News Colorado.

In "The Daughter of the Regiment", Monet X Change sings an aria during a slow speed catfight.

"I'm singing patter which is fast juxtaposed with this slow-motion movement. That's interesting and that's fun," she said.

Monet X Change brings the drama to the opera, but what she really hopes to do is bring opera to her fan base.

"Some people think that opera is for rich White people, and no, opera is for everyone. Everyone has the ability and propensity to love opera," she said.

LINK: For Tickets & Information for "The Daughter of the Regiment"

Opera Colorado is performing "The Daughter of the Regiment" on November 12, 15, & 17, 2024 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.