1986: "Romeo" — Ketil Stokkan

In 1986 Ketil Stokkan represented Norway with Romeo, a catchy, humorously staged pop song about the love story between Romeo and Juliet. The backing dancers deliberately played with gender roles. This staging is considered the first explicit drag performance at the contest. The costumes took their inspiration from theatre history, referencing the Rococo era and the Commedia dell’Arte. 

A more parodic form of cross-dressing featured in the 1973 contest with a performance during the interval act between the songs and the scoring by Spanish clown and Hitler admirer Charlie Rivel. For his entrance music, he used the first few bars of the aria Voi che sapete from the Mozart/Da Ponte opera The Marriage of Figaro. Crossing gender boundaries also plays a role in this opera.