Drag Opera Queeney Todd Part of Heartbeat Opera's 2026-27 Season

The indie opera company Heartbeat Opera has announced its 2026-27 season.

First up is Heartbeat’s annual Drag Extravaganza, this year titled Queeney Todd: The Demon Bottom of Fleet Street. Drag ball performer Kemar Jewel directs the production, running October 22-31 at Judson Memorial Church.

The season also includes two new full adaptations of classic operas, Dvořák’s Rusalka (February 16-28 at Irondale), directed by Elizabeth Dinkova and told through the lens of refugee camps, and Verdi’s Falstaff (May 4-23 at Baruch Performing Arts Center), directed by Dustin Wills.

In addition to these new productions, Heartbeat will release its first full length album, Manon! on August 14, featuring the original cast from the company’s English-language adaptation of Massenet’s 1884 opera last season.

Click here to watch Heartbeat’s 2024 production of Eugene Onegin, streaming for free on YouTube. TheaterMania’s review called it, “an edge-of-your seat drama.”