'Fabulosity Itself' Qya Cristál Joins Thorgy Thor and the Boston Pops to Celebrate Pride

EDGE: I know you from the Gold Dust Orphans where you constantly amazed. I remember my colleague Kilian Melloy wrote of you (in "Oklahomo!"), 'Ms. Cristál is nothing short of fabulosity itself.' Did you hone your skills with the Orphans?

Qya Cristál: Absolutely. I did. Yes. I my first show that I saw of them was at a nightclub called Machine, may it rest in peace. And I shortly after seeing that, while of doing it like an open mic night at the club, one of the cast members saw me, and they were like, 'oh my goodness, you need to meet Ryan Landry, you need to introduce yourself to the Gold Dust Orphans.' And from there, I sort of discovered this whole other side of drag, including singing and acting and dancing and comedy and drama. And then from there, they brought me to Provincetown for the first time in 2012.

EDGE: And you pretty much haven't left Provincetown for the past 12 years...

Qya Cristál: Yes. I came and stayed. Basically, as soon as I rounded Route Six and saw the monument and the water, the sand... it just felt like home. It felt cozy, like home. The community is so wonderful here. For a while I would do six months in Boston and six months in Provincetown. But I relocated in 2019. Officially.

EDGE: So you were there before the Pandemic?

Qya Cristál: Yes. And as if I needed more of a sign from the universe that I was in the right place. Oh, my goodness, especially when the world started shutting down. I was like, I do not know if I could be cooped up in a tiny Boston apartment for months on end like that.

EDGE: Has the drag scene become more competitive in the past few years?

Qya Cristál: Oh, yes, absolutely. Because of the popularity of certain television programs, there are a lot more queens that are doing drag now, which, by the way, I'm not bad at. I think that everybody should at least try drag at least once to see what it's like. But it does increase the competitiveness, which fuels me to continue to further hone my craft so that I can continue getting the more gigs and go more places.

EDGE: And speaking of popular television programs, have you audition for "RuPaul's Drag Race"?

Qya Cristál: No, I haven't auditioned for that yet. I think I want to wait until the time is right. Also my drag mom Sapphira Cristál was just on the most recent season where she was the runner-up. So I want to pick her brain about the show and the goings on and see if it's a right fit for me.

EDGE: What the fact that you both have serious musical training bring you together? How did she become your Drag Mom?

Qya Cristál: She saw me at one of the open mike nights at Machine. I was introduced to her and she looked at me. Then she pulled me aside and said: 'You need a bit of work. But that voice! Oh my God!' She said 'I don't really have any drag children. But would you want to perhaps be mine?' I was like, 'Oh my God! I have a drag mom! Yay!' Sapphira taught me the ropes, things like stage presence and stamina, and how to paint my face and how to do my hair. And it was really, really exciting to have someone like that teach me these things instead of having to learn it all about.

EDGE: Well, she was amazing when she's saying the Puccini aria ("O mio babbino caro") on the first episode this season...Watch a video of Sapphira Cristál performing the aria here.

Qya Cristál: Yes. It was really, really beautiful. I'm very excited that someone I am this close to was part of something this major. I am very, very proud of her.

EDGE: Why do you think that drag has become such a political issue?

Qya Cristál: I think it was inevitable. I think that for the longest time drag has sort of been, I wouldn't necessarily say underground art form, but it definitely did not have the mainstream popularity and visibility that it does now. I mean, drag race is global with lots of spin offs of "Drag Race." I'm happy these shows exist because they help normalizing drag. Drag is not a crime. But now, because some are branding it that way, we've had to take on this role of both artists and educator. The reason? There are a so many people out there that still don't understand the complexities of drag. Or just think because you do drag, you must want to be a woman, which isn't the case for a lot of drag queens. But it's interesting because I find people that want to learn, that are willing to listen and educate themselves. And I find some people that are just like, 'Nope, don't care for it, don't like it, don't want to see it'. And to those people, I say: 'I'm so sorry, your life must be so boring.' Life is too short, I think, to spend time hating something that you don't understand. At least try and understand it, you know, at least try to form a well rounded opinion before you make your decision. It's the people that are just blindly saying, 'oh, you know, I hate drag' or 'drag as a crime.'... I wish those people could actually come to a drag show and see what a drag show really is.

EDGE: You have spoken how you grew up in a strictly religious family. Was it hard for you to come out to them?

Qya Cristál: Yes, yes, I did have a bit of a support system when I got to Berklee because I joined the Gay Student Alliance there. That sort of gave me the push to not be afraid to tell my parents. I had a feeling how they were going to react because they're very churchgoing people and they believe in the word of the Bible, and the gaze of Satan. And we had that whole conversation. After that, I didn't talk to them for a while because they weren't ready to understand. Now, fortunately, after, gosh, eight, nine years, we've gotten back to a place where I can call them and not feel afraid; or I can text them and have a real conversation with them about how my life is going and what I'm doing and what I'm doing. I'm headed for a gig in Puerta Vallarta next month, I'm going to Florida this coming week. And right now it's just been really interesting to fill them in on the past, like, 10 years of my life.

EDGE: And was it hard coming out to them about doing drag?

Qya Cristál: No, surprisingly, that part wasn't hard. I think once they got over the initial hurdle of me being gay and concerns about my safety and my potential for success, they became more open to the lifestyle. First, they realize that it was not a phase, that I'm doing what I love to do and see I'm doing it successfully. That was when they started to really come around. And that's been really very interesting to experience. And now we're at a place where, I can tell them about all the cool things that I'm doing because of drag, my singing and my art.

EDGE: Now when we spoke earlier, you said that drag artists like Jinx Monsoon for drag artists to be taken more seriously in taking roles on Broadway. Do you see Broadway as an option in your future?

Qya Cristál: Oh my God, I would love to do a Broadway show. You know, I've always wanted to reprise the role of Deena Jones in 'Dreamgirls.' That's my dream role. And after seeing people like Nina West in 'Hairspray' or Jinx Monsoon in 'Chicago.' It's like, 'there's doors really opening for people like us people that are talented and can do the work.

EDGE: Now, you mentioned that you go into Puerto Vallarta and Florida in June and then returning to Provincetown to perform the rest of the summer. What will you be doing?

Qya Cristál: Well, I am returning to Puerto Vallarta with my "Diva" a next month. And when I return to Provincetown, I will be doing "Diva," along with my cabaret show, "Qya's Cabaret With The Bart Weisman Trio." And I will also be doing my one woman show... (For more on Qya Cristál's upcoming dates, visit her Instagram page.)

EDGE: Wow. Three shows at once....

Qya Cristál: On top of the odd performance around town. Yes.

EDGE: And you will be doing them at different venues around town, which is something new for drag performers in a place where they often were tied to a venue for an entire season. You have spoken about a different dynamic happening in Provincetown between the clubs and performers, so much so that the paradigm has changed so you can pretty much perform where you want, when you want...

Qya Cristál: Absolutely. Absolutely. And that came with the I would say it started from the top down. It changed with the owner started changing and brought with them new ideas, fresh ideas, about how we can work together. We all sort of came together and the drag queens explained that if they could work where and when they wanted, it would make more money for the town. So why not just let us work where we get the jobs? This is my living, and the more gigs I can do, the more money I can make, the more successfully I can live. It was an argument that people were finally willing to listen to and now we have a situation where if I want to do a gig at one place, I could do it and then I can go do another place the next night and another place the next night and I don't have to worry about stepping on any toes or anyone being upset that I'm doing my because the shows are all different anyway, you're not gonna see the same show for me.

For tickets to Pride Night with the Boston Pops at Boston Symphony Hall on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the special price of $25.00, follow this link