Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Based on the 1994 popular film this fabulous musical tells the tale of two drag queens Mitzi/Tick and Felicia/Adam and their more mature transgender friend Bernadette (previously Ralph) who come together following the death of Bernadette’s husband to perform a drag show at a remote resort in Alice Springs. They travel from Sydney in their bus named Priscilla to their destination in the middle of the desert. As the unlikely trio travel, they encounter many incidents, homophobic attacks/threats, mechanical breakdowns, emotional stresses, a Thai bride with an unusual skill and the rejuvenation of a lifelong passion. Tick eventually tells them that the show has been lined up by his estranged wife, Marion but fails the mention his 8-year-old son.

This is one of the musical theatres shows that has hits that interject every scene which the audience love. It was like a jukebox of characteristic dance floor hits from the opening number ‘It’s Raining Men’ to ‘Finally Medley’ with ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’, ‘I Will Survive’, ‘Pop Muzik’, ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ plus many more. These were interspersed with more thoughtful numbers, ‘True Colors’, ‘A Fine Romance’,’ The Morning After’, ‘Confide In Me’ and the fabulous ‘We Belong’.

Andy Martin’s set and lighting design were spectacular and enhanced all parts of the production. The gobo’s, spotlights and additional lighting was used to great effect. I had recently spoken to him about show and he was explaining to me the confines of space and the work needed to create and move Priscilla well all I can say is that he must be a magician because from the audience you would have never known. The bus arrived in all her glory smoothly onto the stage and when moved on the revolve the inside was outstanding. The stage crew must have been well drilled to turn it and I did notice at one point the screens at the back being moved off stage a little to enable a revolve. As always it was the little details like the rotating wheels which make the difference and her transformation with the LED strips was brilliant. The platforms, screens and various drapes all added to the illusion. The additional props such as the show, coffin, bed, bar etc were effectively moved by the cast and crew and made each scene believable.

I was told by your chairman your budget for costumes well all I can say is they were worth every penny. This show is known for its eclectic tunes and the costumes related to them and they were all on view tonight, from a dress with puppets attached to the iconic drag queens’ outfits with enormous wigs through, the show girls with their feathers, ‘Go West’ costumes, gladiators, flip flop dress, paintbrushes, cupcakes, animals and many more. Bernadette looked stunning in her tailored costumes. All these were well fitting and looked superb. Your changing rooms must have been set out with military precision to ensure everyone was in the correct outfit at the correct time. I understand that one of the leads had 18 changes WOW. Many, many congratulations to your wardrobe team and true celebration of fabulousness, feathers and frivolity.

Added to the costumes were of course all the wonderful wigs and make up the addition of these certainly added to the impact from the costumes.

Your company is extremely lucky to have such an experienced choreographer who can create such a wide variety of dance styles. Every number was outstanding, you had just got over one routine when another completely different one began, from country dance to showgirls, dancing paintbrushes to cupcakes, from a hoe down to the iconic drag queen routine. One thing I would like to mention is that all of these wonderful dances were on a stage which is not over large and the members of the cast had to negotiate steps not an easy thing on heels, platforms or in oversize costumes.

You are a very fortunate company to have such a wealth of talent to call upon to cast a show like Priscilla. The three male leads have to be multi skilled or else the production has the potential to fall down but I was in complete awe of the leads that were chosen to play Mitzi, Felicia and Bernadette. All very separate personalities but ultimately with a collective goal. There were many spats and disagreements along the way but they were all on their own personal expeditions to discovery their true selves and find people can accept them as they are without all the makeup and costumes. Their singing of ‘We Belong’ before the finale was a moving and wonderful conclusion of the journey, they had all travelled and the friendship, affection and acceptance they had all found together.

There was an air of anticipation in the theatre you could almost feel the eager expectation of the audience whilst waiting for the show to begin and they were not to be disappointed. The performance opened with a fantastic overture medley played by your talented musicians, extremely well directed by your outstanding musical director, whose musical ability certainly led the whole ensemble throughout the show. All the members of the cast had been well drilled by the MD and all the harmonies were heard clearly. The first group of outstanding vocalists were your Divas. These gifted ladies appeared many times throughout the show in extravagant outfits often taking turns to lead the vocals. Each one of them flawlessly delivering their harmonies and well-rehearsed Chiffons style dance routines.

Tick/Mitzi was outstanding he had a great singing voice which he used to the full swapping between Tick and Mitzi in full drag.  His delivery of ‘I Say a Little Prayer For You’ was very contemplative. He moved well especially in those heels, had fantastic stage presence and portrayed his life changing journey across Australia with feeling. He showed a range of emotions throughout the show but one of the most poignant and life affirming was after Benji accepted him and requested an Elvis impression, which he did exceptionally well, there was not a dry eye in the house.

What a performance Adam/Felicia gave. He created a naive young hedonist with endless energy. He had total belief in his own ability to do as he pleased and expect others to react favourably to his choices but even, he is forced to accept with the others assistance, following violent homophobic attacks, that not everyone accepts his chosen flamboyant lifestyle. His vocal ability was superb and I loved the constant Kylie references. His Sempre Libera rendition on the shoe with the flowing material behind him was totally in character and fantastically performed. Almost topping all of the above was his dancing, is there any movement he can’t complete? He moved around the stage with skill, dropping down into splits and performing vertical splits with ease and all completed on six-inch heels, WOW!!

Completing this unbelievably talented trio was the beautiful, feminine Bernadette whose character I found out was taken from a ‘big star in the 60’s at …a real club called Les Girls. She (had) the first public sex-change in Australia’. I was told by your chairman that the three leads have worn their heels from the beginning of rehearsals and the actor playing this part appeared to have studied and totally taken on a female persona. The hand movements, sitting, walking and dancing in fact I feel that if members of the audience did not know the story, they would think she was female not transgender. She was sensational as Bernadette displaying all the nuances of her personality.  She was powerful, sarcastic, critical, bitchy, lacking in patience with Felicia but ultimately underlying all of these she was caring and lonely after losing her husband. The compassion she showed Felicia after she had rescued him from the attack was palpable. She delivered her comic one liners on point and demonstrated her exasperation with her travelling companions playing the part of ‘mother’ to them.  She had a wonderful singing voice and put so much feeling into her songs ‘Don’t Leave Me this Way’, ‘Hot Stuff’, ‘I Will Survive’ were stand out numbers.

The relationship that developed between the mechanic Bob and Bernadette was a joy to watch. Your player portrayed a kind, sensitive man who displayed obvious long-lasting affection for Bernadette and gradually wore her down and made her realise that a man could genuinely love her for who she was. The reprise of a ‘A Fine Romance’ was tunefully sung.

Miss Understanding made a great compere and looked the part with a black Charlestown dress and pink puff ball wig and gave us a great rendition of ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’.

The actor playing Shirley was hilarious, her characterisation was brilliant from the walk to the actions. She looked the part and she delivered ‘I Love The Nightlife’ with gusto.

Marion was perfectly cast as the wife of Tick. She demonstrated true friendship and empathy for him. She showed a caring manner for Benji and was determined to ensure he achieved his desires. The young actor depicting Benji did so in a confident way. He spoke clearly with compassion and his rendition of ‘I Say A Little Prayer For You’ while Tick was singing ‘Always On My Mind’ was wonderfully performed.

Another role that had people laughing out loud was that of Cynthia the Thai bride of Bob. She was totally over the top and her singing of ‘Pop Muzik’ with her special ping pong ball skills was brilliant.

Smaller roles, although large in performance, were Farah as a slightly less polished drag queen in the Cock-A-Too club and Young Bernadette was beautifully created by your actor. Other cast members portrayed the pastor, Frank, Errol, Jimmy and the Swedish Lars with gusto.

The show was spectacular not just because of your three outstanding leads but every member of your remarkable cast/ensemble and not forgetting all those backstage. The music, singing, choreography, impeccably timed one liners, extravagant costumes, scenery, lighting, props and of course Priscilla were gloriously over the top. We were all transported to Australia where a smorgasbord of themes and emotions were embraced.

High congratulations to your director, choreographer and musical director for having the creative vision to stage a production of a professional standard. I ran out of superlatives when attempting to describe this fantastic performance.

The finale had everyone on their feet singing, dancing and clapping along.  A big thank you from myself and the rest of the audience for an outstanding performance.

Disclaimer 

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance and it is inevitable that his assessment will be affected by that knowledge. 

The NODA Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular, the performance.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre. 

 It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

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