After a year’s silence, the doors of the Black Haüs crypt have ominously creaked open. The first family of horror drag in Central Florida — and beyond — is returning to a local stage with renewed creativity and sense of purpose.
Black Haüs have been horrifying and seducing discerning fans of Orlando drag with high-concept and bone-chilling alt-drag since they first took over Tuesdays at Stonewall in 2017. The Black Haüs family weren’t a local cult phenomenon for long; matriarch Victoria Elizabeth Black made a strong impression on the second season of reality competition Dragula and then won 2022’s Dragula Titans. But this isn’t a solo show; the collective of performers are all innovative artists and have built strong followings of their own.
Black Haüs’ last extended run was at the Renaissance Theatre, where they closed the casket on Creature Feature in 2023 for a much-needed breather.
Opulence Black (Rock Kelly) heads up Black Haüs alongside Victoria Elizabeth Black. Both are utterly ferocious performers and they have collectively built up Black Haüs as a recognized and prestigious name in alt-drag.
Black Haüs is a boundary-pushing force in Orlando drag, balancing innovative aesthetics with a commitment to activism on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community; Opulence Black is a tireless and vocal advocate for Orlando drag to be more inclusive, particularly in platforming transgender performers.
Opulence also recently ended a performing hiatus with a (literal) vengeance, returning with a cathartic performance that was an allegory of religious hypocrisy, soundtracked by shrieking metal.
“That performance was inspired by my own upbringing in the church and then getting kicked out when I came out publicly at 15,” explains Black. “I baptized someone at the end of that number with black liquid flowing from a chalice to represent the lies I was fed as a child and a reclamation of my artistic power.” Drag is personal, drag is political.
Orlando Weekly spoke to the always thought-provoking Opulence Black about new beginnings ahead of Sunday’s Creature Feature resurrection.
What made you all decide the time was right to bring back Creature Feature?
Ultimately, deciding on when was the right time to bring back Creature Feature was due to the fans and community surrounding the event urging us to bring it back — which warms my little black heart that our show is so loved by so many. We took the last year or so to ourselves to rejuvenate after years of weekly events causing immense creative burnout. I think a lot of people discount the artistry we put into drag and don’t understand that producing high-caliber content weekly with very little money can be very draining to an artist, and taking that time to recenter and reinspire ourselves was truly needed.
Who is performing this weekend?
For our comeback show, we have the entire Haüs performing: your reigning Titan from The Boulet Brothers Dragula Season 2, Resurrection and Titans, Victoria Elizabeth Black; myself; Zade Black; Sixxx Black; resident DJ Vaxyn8, as well as some of our favorite special guests and a new face joining in on the fun.
We have returning Creature Feature favorite [and] burlesque baddie Lady Bri Adonis. She’s basically a resident at this point because we can’t get enough of her high-energy alternative approach to burlesque. We also have Orlando’s high priestess Anesthesia joining us. We adore Anesthesia. I watched her first performance on an open stage many moons ago and instantly booked her. She’s one of the most eclectic artists in the Orlando scene, and she’s truly created her own niche in such a short time.
Additionally, we have joining us for the first time Amnesia Effect. Creature Feature has always been a fierce advocate for the trans community in Orlando and Amnesia is a captivating performer, blending burlesque artistry and drag to create breathtaking numbers.
You took a bit of a hiatus yourself from performing after years of constant work.
It was a very hard decision to take a step back from performing and I missed my community dearly during our year or so apart, but ultimately I knew I needed it and it was time to put Rock over Opulence. Over the last several years I’ve had to deal with some unexpected health issues that I tried to perform through, against better judgment that I needed time to properly heal. Additionally, I’ve begun a sober journey and just passed my two-year mark of no alcohol. Being in nightlife, you don’t get health insurance but you sure do get a bar tab and unfortunately this impeded my life and performance greatly. I’m excited to get back to performing and be a beacon for other performers that need a safe space in an alcohol-forward environment.
How has the current state of the United States added urgency to your art, putting on events and fostering community?
What we are witnessing happening locally, nationally and globally is gut-wrenching and feels hopeless as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. To be honest, there have been times where I think about those that are being deported and wrongfully held in concentration camps and it feels wrong to throw on makeup and try to perform. What I have held onto as a reason to move forward with performing is a sentiment shared during the AIDS crisis: “We bury our friends in the morning, protest in the afternoon and dance all night.”
The Trump administration wants us to feel powerless, hopeless and exhausted, but the one thing they can’t take away from us is radical queer joy. That queer joy is what empowers us, gives us hope and tells us to keep on fighting the good fight. We need to be visible, we need to stand in our power and we will not give up the fight because our community needs us. And if Creature Feature can be a match to that gasoline, then I’m happy to strike that match again.
The Dust
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This article appears in Apr 23-29, 2025.