Priscilla Queen of the Desert

The set built in house was basic on the main stage with a backdrop which suited each scene. This gave plenty of room for the large cast to dance. The aprons had a large feather fan to stage left which opened to reveal the Divas and the bus (hidden initially) to stage right. The lighting was brilliant as was the sound which enhanced the production. The props used were great and Lynn Byrne and the team at Charades were simply wonderful on costumes. There were so many changes of costume all of which were staggeringly beautiful and I know many others gave up their week as personal dressers and make up assistants which this show would not go on without. Well done to the whole stage crew and helpers backstage who worked just as hard as those onstage to present a real dazzling performance.

The direction by Jo Weetman was beautifully put together, from casting to accents and characterisation. The blocking on each scene was perfect allowing all cast members to be seen and shine.

The choreography by Katie Fry was fantastic and really effective even for those members who are not comfortable dancers. Everyone looked like they were having a fabulous time and well done on the fellas’ dancing in heels and all in huge costumes as you still all kept in time.   

The Band sounded superb being led by Matt Corrigan who did an absolutely amazing job. They never outplayed the cast so we could hear every word and  the gorgeous harmonies on the stage. Matt you conducted the band beautifully and had worked the cast hard to achieve such gorgeous songs.

There were some knockout performances from this fabulous cast including a number of the ensemble. I can’t mention everyone but there wasn’t a weak link in this cast. Of the supporting team, Jon Clay was fablous as Miss Understanding, Esther Weetman was utterly brilliant as Cynthia, Andrea Loasby was great as Shirley, Jess Dawber was a lovely Marion and John Weetman a lovely sensitive portrayal of Bob (But I particularly liked the kangaroo outfit for the finale!)

The Divas not only looked gorgeous but vocally were absolutely perfect. Shelley Roberts, Sarah Thewlis and Sarah Howarth complimented each other with some knockout harmonies and gorgeous moves on many stunning numbers. Each of the girls took lead on different numbers but all have exceptionally beautiful voices.

Steven Cheeseman was absolutely perfect in the role of Adam. As the youngest member of the trio of drag queens he sounded fabulous on all his numbers, his accent was faultless and he played the bitch Felicia with a look and naturalness that was credible and heart wrenching in places.

Nick Angus gave a lovely portrayal of Tick the instigator of the trip for personal reasons. His scenes with Nate Lord-Vayro as Benji were very touching and sincere. His vocals were lovely with nice clear diction. Again Nick had a faultless accent and performance. Nate had a lovely singing voice and looked very comfortable on stage even surrounded by adult performers (again loved the baby kangaroo outfit for the finale).

Darren Fricker was amazing as Bernadette and I loved his attitude, accent and delivery of the part which is so central to the story of love and acceptance. He had some cracking lines all delivered with fantastic timing and I loved the evolution of his relationship with Bob and Adam/Felicia. He looked great in every costume and all 3 of the leads had faultless Australian accents and mastered the walking and dancing in heels with flair.

This was a fantastic show which left every member of the audience singing the well known songs and leaving the auditorium with a huge smile on their faces. There’s not much of a story in this show but a message of love and tolerance which was displayed beautifully by this cast and crew and left me feeling happy to have been there on this incredible journey. Well done everyone.

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