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Amygdala’s Pleasure Dome: Continuum opened at SoMad in Manhattan on October 7, combining drag, music, performance art and political satire. Hyperallergic’s review describes the event as a gathering rooted in queer community and the need to create space for possibility; further installments were scheduled for October 8 and November 18–19, with performers changing between iterations.
Drag performer Amygdala brought her Brooklyn-rooted variety show to Manhattan on October 7 with the opening installment of Pleasure Dome: Continuum, a multimedia performance at SoMad combining drag, music, political satire and body piercing. Hyperallergic’s review portrays the event as more than a night of entertainment: a collective space for queer expression and imagining other futures.
The performance took place at SoMad, a multimedia art space near Madison Square Park. The review says the show used projections on curtains and performances distributed through the narrow room, an arrangement intended to give audience members views from different areas. Its mix of acts included diva-style songs, readings, vaudeville references and what the publication described as therapeutic sound.
Among the performers were RuAfza, Selena Surreal, final girl ’98 and Julie J. RuAfza used political satire to address billionaires, right-wing politics and exhaustion, including a segment in which she declined to perform while projections played behind her. Selena Surreal presented a piercing performance, while final girl ’98 moved between the stage and audience. Julie J performed in an orange lamé costume to Nicole Scherzinger’s version of “As If We Never Said Goodbye.”
Amygdala guided the evening with songs and readings, including reflections she said she had written in a notes app while on a Brooklyn subway. The review quotes her thinking about ancestors, survival, shared knowledge and pleasure, before she asked: “What can we imagine if we imagine other futures?” The report identifies October 7 as the first iteration and says later installments would feature changing performer lineups.
A Stage for Queer Possibility
The event puts a local performance series in the broader conversation about who gets space to make and present queer art. Hyperallergic’s reviewer interprets the show’s political material and theatrical choices as connected: satire, spectacle and moments of intimacy were presented together rather than separated into conventional entertainment and activism.
That reading matters because the review frames the gathering as a response to a period of right-wing resurgence and concern about threats to queer art. Those are the reviewer’s assessment and interpretation, not a finding established by the performance itself. The event’s documented details—its artists, venue and format—show how one group of performers created a shared platform in Manhattan, while the review argues that such spaces can sustain community and the ability to imagine alternatives.
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From Brooklyn Drag to SoMad
The review describes Amygdala as a prominent figure in Brooklyn drag and presents Pleasure Dome: Continuum as a move into a Manhattan venue. It characterizes Brooklyn drag as conceptually ambitious, then points to the show’s use of SoMad’s narrow room and multimedia setup as part of the audience experience. The format spread performances around the space rather than relying solely on a front-facing stage.
The first installment drew on several performance traditions: drag, vaudeville, music, political theater and visual projections. Rather than treating the evening as a single continuous narrative, the program offered separate numbers and readings linked by Amygdala’s hosting. The report says the series was planned across multiple dates, with different performers in each iteration; it does not provide a complete schedule of acts for every date.
““What can we imagine if we imagine other futures?””
— Amygdala, as quoted in Hyperallergic’s report
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What the Review Cannot Establish
The source is a performance review, not an independently documented account of the production’s funding, audience size or wider effects. It does not establish how many people attended, whether the later installments took place as scheduled, or how audiences and performers beyond the reviewer responded.
The review’s claims about danger to queer art and the political meaning of the event are interpretive. The supplied report gives no additional statements from organizers about the show’s goals, no detailed production information, and no full list of acts for the later dates. Those details remain unconfirmed in the source material.
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Further Installments Were Scheduled
At the time of Hyperallergic’s report, another part of the first installment was scheduled for October 8 at SoMad, 34 East 23rd Street, fourth floor, followed by performances planned for November 18 and 19. The report says the lineup would change with each iteration.
The available source does not confirm whether those later dates went ahead or provide updated schedules, lineups or ticket information. Any current plans would need to be checked with SoMad or the event organizers.
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Key Questions
What is Pleasure Dome: Continuum?
It is a multi-part performance series hosted by Amygdala, described in Hyperallergic’s report as combining drag, music, political satire, readings and multimedia elements.
Where did the first performance take place?
The October 7 installment took place at SoMad, 34 East 23rd Street, fourth floor, in Manhattan, according to the report.
Which performers appeared in the October 7 installment?
The review names RuAfza, Selena Surreal, final girl ’98 and Julie J, alongside Amygdala as host and guide for the evening.
What was the show about?
The program combined a range of performance styles with queer politics, satire and reflections on survival and future possibility. That description reflects the review’s account and interpretation.
Were more performances planned?
Hyperallergic reported that further installments were scheduled for October 8 and November 18–19, with performers changing between iterations. The source does not confirm whether those dates later took place.
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