Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert – The Musical

Thank you for your kind invitation to review your production of ‘Priscilla….’, a show I had not seen before. The reputation of the show had preceded it, with comments about the exotic costumes and unconventional story, with the portrayal of men dressed as women going on a journey into the outback of Australia.

This production was exceptional in every way. The whole production worked really well, with slick scene changes and wonderfully exotic costumes. The scenery and staging were very well done, with very good planning on entrances and exits to help with the smooth flow of the story. The music, played live, formed an effective backing to the singers, with all the moods of the hit pop songs of the era being very well conveyed. The lighting was very effective, and held quite a number of surprises: the strings of lights on the camper van and the lights in the sides of the flats. The make-up was well done, with enough to create more feminine features on the men while not over-stating them. The choreography was superb, with everyone in character and moving together to those lovely upbeat numbers.

The show has been beautifully cast, with three different styles for the three leading men who mirror the antics of the three female divas and lip synching the songs. The atmosphere onstage was very well created, from the outback bar to the lights of the stage In Alice Springs. I was amazed at the quality of the Australian accents, too, and the depiction of the hardened Country Boys as a complete contrast to the three leads. The connection of the three friends with real life in the form of Tick’s wife and son was very well handled. The performances from everyone on stage were mesmerising, with very good timing and delivery of the many clever script lines that added much to the fun of the performance.

I found the entire show to be enormous fun and at the same time very moving. This was a wonderful production that made the most of the material and thoroughly entertained the packed audiences. Congratulations to all involved!

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