Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Priscilla – Queen of the Desert–is the heartwarming, uplifting adventure of three friends, Tick, Bernadette and Adam, a glamorous Sydney-based performing trio who agree to take their show to the middle of the Australian outback. They hop aboard a battered old bus (nicknamed Priscilla) searching for love and friendship and end up finding more than they ever imagined.

The show requires a great deal of hard graft on the part of the stage crew who are to be congratulated on maintaining the momentum throughout.  It was glitzy, glamorous, and dazzling with full length shimmer curtains on both wings. 

An extremely difficult show for the many changes of costume.  The overall effect of all the scenes was ‘wow’! Great attention to detail in all aspects. Congratulations and thanks to the wardrobe team for all their hard work in coordinating all the costumes and quick changes.

Praise to Leanne Evans-Dix, the MD who maintained a sympathetic accompaniment for the singers who had been well rehearsed.

Sue Canfield, the director, is to be praised for creating this bold but light-hearted entertainment with some beautiful ‘pictures’.  The principals were very well cast and the hard work at rehearsals led to a good blend of characterisations all contributing to make a very well-rounded performance.  The three main principals Tick (Devin Moller), Adam (Dale Barrell) and Bernadette (Paul Prebble) were a fine trio who played off each other with style and to great dramatic effect. Their delivery of the lines was perfect which together with accomplished singing and movement created the core of the show.  The remainder of the cast were each, in their way, superb.  The three divas, Ruth Platt, Sarah Lucken and Zoe Taylor sang their vocals very assuredly, Miss Understanding (Rhys Wilson) was certainly very pleasing to listen to and easily understood.  Emily Gregory and Sian Tickner both had character roles, as Marion and Shirley, which were played very ably showing their wealth of experience.  The young man playing Benji, Fraser Harris, was one of the most assured young performers in an adult show that I have seen for a long time.  Not forgetting Ron Walker as the erstwhile mechanic Bob.  “Colour My World” and “A Fine Romance” were given the full Hollywood treatment by choreographer April Timpson.

All in all, it was a splendid evening of glitz and glamour with delightful music, singing and dancing but above all a great sense of humour.  The audience were thoroughly appreciative of all the effort that had been put in to stage this great show.

Congratulations to everyone involved; the whole team is to be applauded on such a fine evening of pure entertainment.   Such talent is a joy to see.

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