Perhaps the most extraordinary role in Mozart’s beloved singspiel The Magic Flute is the star-flaming Queen of the Night. Her arias soar with the most exquisite tenderness or viciousness. It almost seems at times that there are two very different Queen of the Nights — the tenderhearted Queen terrified of the fate of her abducted daughter Pamina or the vengeful Queen, ordering Pamina to kill her stepfather Sarastro or be damned to hell. Mozart, in fact, received some criticism that the character of the QOTN was not clearly defined. Nonetheless, one way or another, everything comes to a stop when she appears on the stage. She is simply unforgettable.
Mildred Payne is the character who represents the QOTN in Piper to the Alternative. She is not a queen by birth, but has great aspirations. She charms everyone she meets and then manipulates them to her own ends. She is not a great beauty, but manages to convince everyone that she is.
In TMF, the QOTN has three handmaidens. In P2A, she has a couple of wannabees…:-0
Le Chant du Rossignol...(song of the nightingale) 