Make no mistake: “Queen of the Night // Diamond Horseshoe,” the immersive theater experience that’s taken New York City by storm, isn’t for the faint of heart. Without giving too much away (the element of surprise is the best part), guests at the subterranean ball are asked to push the boundaries of their comfort zones far beyond what one would typically expect from a show in the heart of the theater district.
Started by producers from similarly surreal experiences “Sleep No More” and “The Box,” “Queen of the Night” combines acrobatics, modern dance, elegant decor and a seductive storyline for a one-of-a-kind evening complete with a full dinner. People visibly loosen up as the evening goes on and the drinks start flowing—groups of friends become less clustered, people stop crossing their arms or fiddling with their hair and apprehensive looks melt into wide-eyed enchantment. And now, the bravest of the brave take it even further by belting out tunes alongside the cast at Get Lucky, the new Wednesday after-hours karaoke party.
At “Queen of the Night”
“In a way, the show is a great primer for karaoke,” says Katherine Crockett, who plays the performance’s eponymous Queen. “Number one, you get a few drinks in you,” she laughs, “but number two, I think the entire evening at ‘Queen of the Night,’ we are waiting to invite people into the action as much as they feel comfortable.”
The motto of the tantalizing evening is Say yes to everything, and the sentiment really shows in the way the audience opens up to interact with the cast and space inside the Paramount Hotel, both during the show and after. “What a joy to not have to be restricted in that way,” says Crockett, “to have a night where your senses are encouraged to be open and your soul is encouraged to be open.”
Making Get Lucky an even more special experience, cast members emerge from backstage sans makeup and in everyday clothes to support karaoke performers—even if their strong suit isn’t necessarily singing. “There’s a reason why I’m a dancer,” says Crockett when asked for her go-to song. “As Martha Graham, my mentor, says, ‘The body says what words cannot.’ But I definitely believe that music is an incredible force, so when I get my gusto up I’ll come back to you with that one!”
See a “Queen of the Night”-inspired playlist from the cast below, and check out the karaoke event at the Paramount Hotel after the show on Wednesday evenings.
