Killer Queen Opera to Showcase ‘Madam, the life and story of Polly Adler’

By David Salazar

Killer Queen Opera is set to present “Madam, the life and story of Polly Adler” on March 1, 2025.

The opera is written by Bea Goodwin and composer Felix Jarrar and explores the life of the Belarusian-Jewish immigrant who ushed in modern-era sex work. Starring as Polly is Karina Camile Parker. She is joined by a cast that includes Annika Low, Trysten Reynolds, Aja Nile Brimm, Kayla Perez, Lucas Bouk, Sam Flores, and Milan Furtado. Christina Swanson directs and Giulia Magarelli conducts and performs at the piano.

“ I read ‘A House is Not a Home,’ Polly Adler’s de facto autobiography, about five years ago and its magic, its pathos, still stays with me. The piece began to write itself, conceived in 2020 prior to Debby Applegate’s incredible biography, Madam, which analyzed Polly’s leading role in the context of her era. A woman purposefully erased from the jazz age, while in reality, she was the diadem of Manhattan. Polly’s story is an American story– an immigrant working towards the dream of wealth, of community, and most importantly, of home. I hope that through this piece, audiences will deeply feel her search for a home, her creating a home for others, and tragically losing that home in the name of the law,” Goodwin said per an official press release.

“When Bea told me about her concept for Madam and sent me the text she was writing, I knew I absolutely had to set this libretto,” added Jarrar. “This opera about Polly Adler’s life is the story of many women throughout history, and sadly has many parallels with what femme people experience currently in America in 2025. As a gay man of color, I wanted to compositionally bring the idea of free love and liberation to these vibrant historical characters. For me, the central theme of Polly’s story of survival is loneliness, which in this day and age, is a theme many of us can relate to.”

The performance is divided into three parts, with an invitation to the pre-party, the opera premiere, and the after-party. The event kicks off at 6 p.m. and runs through 12 a.m.

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