It seems only natural that the first production staged at 825 Arts, a 1915 silent-film theater in St. Paul that reopened this month as a modern theater venue, would be “Divas & Drag” — and Monday, Sept. 23, is your last chance to catch the show.

“Divas & Drag,” produced by local organization An Opera Theatre, reimagines and recontextualizes what founder Kelly Turpin calls “vintage” operatic music, alongside drag and burlesque performances. This is the third iteration of the show, first staged in 2019 and then last year, and this year’s performance is the first to feature burlesque alongside drag.

This year’s iteration of “Divas & Drag” opened Sept. 19, and remaining showtimes include 7 p.m. Sept. 21, 4 p.m. Sept. 22 and 7 p.m. Sept. 23, a performance that will be ASL-interpreted. The Sept. 22 performance is alcohol-free; refreshments at all shows are provided by Can Can Wonderland. Tickets (pay-as-you’re-able; suggested $20) can be purchased online and more info can be found at anoperatheatre.org.

There’s so much cultural baggage around opera, Turpin said, but it doesn’t need to feel pretentious or inaccessible. It’s just a way of setting emotional stories to music, she said — which makes for a much more natural connection to drag performance than many people think.

“They’re all about the big emotions of how the music makes you feel, how it visually makes you feel, what the artists are choosing to portray,” she said.” Which I think makes it feel a little more approachable, that there’s no tightness around it.”

In this way, the show comes together pretty organically, she said. This year’s “Divas & Drag” is structured like a retro 1960s-era talk show, hosted by a well-known local drag MC who goes by Dick von Dyke. Each segment of the show is a joint performance by one or a few of the cast’s five professional opera singers and nine drag and burlesque performers, including von Dyke and burlesque performer Queenie von Curves as co-artistic producers.

“It’s a lot of puzzle piecing,” Turpin said. “The opera performers send us stuff they love singing or have always wanted to learn or is from a role you feel like you’ll never get hired in that you always want to do. And then, who do we have from the drag and burlesque side who has that vibe — or who could do something completely different from what we would expect?”

A central goal of “Divas & Drag,” and of An Opera Theatre as an organization, Turpin said, is to bring spontaneity and freedom and personal expression into opera. At “Divas & Drag” shows, for example, there aren’t English translations of classical opera lyrics projected above the stage or printed in programs, as some professional companies do — as if to reinforce that the real emotional punch of a good show comes not from the words being sung or an audience member’s knowledge of the show but rather from the artistry of the performance.

“Sometimes performers forget they can have their own ideas or express themselves in different ways and don’t have to mimic what people were doing 50 years ago,” she said. “And then to match that with the drag and burlesque community here in the cities — the top of the top — (performers can) be comfortable with the theatricality of what you’re presenting, and the character and the costumes, so there is room for that improvisational playfulness.”

If you go

What: “Divas & Drag,” a show that pairs up professional opera singers with drag performers to reimagine classic opera works

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21; 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22; 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23; 100-minute showtime includes 15-minute intermission.

Where: 825 Arts, 825 W. University Ave., St. Paul

Tickets: Pay as you’re able; suggested $20 with a “pay it forward” ticket for $35; more info at anoperatheatre.org

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The Gophers secondary will be shorthanded against Iowa on Saturday night at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Top Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley and starting safety Aidan Gousby were ruled out, according to the U’s unavailable list posted two hours before the 6:30 p.m. kickoff.

Walley injured his right knee toward the beginning of the 27-0 win over Nevada last week, while Gousby was favoring his arm after a collision late in against the Wolf Pack.

Walley, a senior, has not missed a game in his collegiate career, while Gousby is in his first extended playing time this season. The third-year safety is second on the team with 138 snaps.

The Hawkeyes offense, meanwhile, has struggled to throw, ranking 106th in the nation at 176 yards per game.

Za’Quan Bryan is expected to step in for Walley; the redshirt freshman has played 71 snaps this season, including early against North Carolina in the season opener.

The Gophers’ safeties have rotated this season, with Kerry Brown, Coleman Bryson and Darius Green in the mix. True freshman Koi Perich, who has played 21 snaps this season, could see a bigger role.

Both Gousby and Walley have an interception on the season. Walley has eight tackles and Gousby six.

The Gophers listed five other players out: tight end Pierce Walsh, defensive linemen Theorin Randle and Jaylin Hicks, running back Kadean Johnson and defensive back Jordan Greenhow. Defensive lineman Logan Richter was deemed questionable.

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BOSTON — After nearly emptying out the bullpen on Friday night, using seven of eight relievers to secure a 12-inning win, the Twins get to give their relievers’ tired arms an extra day of rest before returning to work.

With steady rain falling in Boston all day, the second game of the Twins’ three-game series in Boston was postponed, called off about 20 minutes after it had been scheduled to start. The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Sunday, with the first game starting at 11:35 a.m. and the second at 4:35 p.m.

Pablo López, who was scheduled to start on Saturday, will take the ball for the first game of the doubleheader with Zebby Matthews starting the second game.

After the doubleheader, the Twins return home and will have Monday off, meaning the bullpen should get somewhat of a mini-break. The Twins used multiple pitchers on Friday who had been told they would only be used in case of emergency, manager Rocco Baldelli said, and the extra-inning game qualified.

As a result, the Twins called down for a fresh arm, optioning Ronny Henriquez to Triple-A on Saturday and calling up Brent Headrick, who spent most of the season on the Triple-A injured list with an arm injury.

“He’s healthy now. He’s gotten himself right,” Baldelli said. “It took a little while to get everything straightened out and feeling good, but we think Brent’s in a really good spot right now.”

Castro makes history

There have been tens of thousands of Major League Baseball players spanning more than a century. But only one can claim this: When he shifted from second to third base in the 11th inning on Friday night, Willi Castro became the first player in history to play 25 games at five different defensive positions in a single season, a testament to his versatility.

“It means a lot,” Castro said. “Obviously you don’t think about records like that. You just come here to play ball, but it feels good. It feels really special to know I’m in history.”

Castro knew he was close but thought he still had a few more games to reach the milestone. He found out after the game on social media that he was part of history.

The all-star has seen a majority of his playing time — 56 games — at shortstop, filling in there primarily while Carlos Correa was on the injured list, first with an oblique strain and then with plantar fasciitis. He’s made 39 appearances at second base and 29 each in left and center field while reaching 25 at third base on Friday.

His versatility has certainly made life easier on Baldelli and the coaching staff, who have way more options and flexibility to make the in-game moves they want to make because of Castro.

“He’s done a great job. I always say he’s earned all of his opportunities through working his tail off, playing well,” Baldelli said. “He came in this year as someone that we knew was going to move around the field from the very beginning of the year. Was I anticipating him setting a major league record? No, I wasn’t even thinking anything like that, but I was thinking he was going to play all over the place.”

Castro considers shortstop, which was his primary position in the minor leagues, and center field as his two favorites. Second base, he thinks, is his best position. He doesn’t have a least favorite, he said.

“(I’m) really proud because I came last year and I wasn’t playing a lot, even though I made the team,” Castro said. “Now, I have a place every day, so I really enjoy every time Rocco puts me in there. The mentality that I have is to go out there and do little things to make us win the game.”