Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical

 

Horwich Amateur Theatre Society are celebrating their 70th Anniversary and celebrate in style with the colourful all singing all dancing Priscilla Queen of The Desert. A big show to pull off and HATS do it in style. With black box set as the foundation a star cloth and raised platform at the back. Stage Right flat with glitter curtain and sign The Cock A Too Club. Various set dressing and props were brought on and manoeuvred by cast and also the stage crew dressed for the part adding to the aesthetic. And the use of cast and crew making scene changes looked smooth. Most groups hire in the bus but HATS made their own, complete with headlights and the interior being over the top and pink just as it should be. Set Design and Build was Ian Brown.  Stage Crew were Gemma Marr, Eleanor Sidlow, Diane Davies and Matt Newns. Sound and Music by Ashley Foster and Support by Callum Bagot. Lighting by Chloe Spencer and Follow Spot were Catherine Taylor. With various lighting effects used to enhance the show and used to colour the bus pink.

Costumes, by D & S Costumes were fun and relevant.

George Baldwin as Musical Director puts the cast through their paces and some big numbers were done in style as were the more intimate moments.

Choreography and Movement were Lorraine Brown, Gemma Marr and Sonya Bithell. Great shapes created and manoeuvring in large costume done well and mixing the dancers with the ensemble worked well. Not many people get to choreograph a number with a coffin. Hilarious.

Directors Sonya Bithell and Ryan Gerrard pull all the above together to bring a feel-good factor evening for all. The slickness of scene changes and mingling the scenes when one scene is playing out and coming to an end the cast and or crew are changing for the next scene. This worked well and keeps the flow. Also the scene when they set off travelling and meet the animals on the way (which doesn’t always go well for the animals). When they are performing at the end The Casino Floorshow and its gets faster and faster with stand ins was done well too. Often when two directors work together you can see the joins but Sonya and Ryan work seamlessly together.

The dancers and the ensemble worked well together and had some quick changes to contend with and in supporting the show. Marion was played by Sharon Shaw, Cynthia was played by Betsy Darlington, Jimmy/Frank played by David Darlington. Steph Maloney as Shirley hilarious with the deadpan face singing. Well done.

The Divas played by Stephanie Kay, Joanna Robinson and Niamh Allen. Girls wow your voices together were lovely and great harmonies. You also looked stunning.

Seb Holbert as Farrah and Young Bernadette really stood out with energy and commitment to the part. Well played. Fabulous A Fine Romance. Jack Ashcroft-Goulds played Benji and was just too cute for words. His words were said with real naturalism. The scene with Benji and Tick on the bed was done well and believable and good connection. One to watch.

Craig Booth as Bob and Miss Understanding. Believable character as Bob and good chemistry. Just loved Miss Understanding and the energy especially Tina Turner.

The three queens had a good relationship and worked well together as we witnessed their journey and heard their experiences and fears. Which unfortunately is still relevant today. Nick Edwards as Bernadette mourning the loss of his companion trumpet and irritated by Adam and discovering there are gentlemen out there and watching the slow burn romance. James Goodwin as Adam aka Felicia, always getting into trouble and needling Bernadette, explained by the phone call to his mum. I did get a sense of real friendship between the three.

Last but not least is Guy Tudgay playing Tick who gave a sensitive at times and over top when needed performance that was better than when I saw the character professionally. His relationship with Queens and then his wife and also his child all took on a different energy, which gives a character a dimension that draws you in and you empathise with. I laughed with you - I loved the build up to MacArthur Park and I felt for you the moment with Marion and Benji were heartfelt. Excellent performance.

HATS cast, crew and Committee must be thrilled with this show in their 70th Year celebrations, congratulations - the audience came out buzzing. Thank you for the invite and hospitality from my guest Beverley and I.

Liz Hume-Dawson

District 5. 

 

 

 

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