Seeing Priscilla Queen of the Desert was something I’d wanted to do for a long time. I had long wondered how the 1994 film would translate to the screen. The trip through the desert, taken by a group of 3 drag queens – how would it play out on stage?
In my opinion? Pretty splendidly. As a matter of fact, the songs “MacArthur Park” & “Say a Little Prayer for Me” & “Don’t Leave Me This Way” are still churning out in my mind, and every time I step in the shower, I go nuts belting out the lyrics of these songs.
In the show, Tick (played smoothly by Will Swenson) is a drag performer living in Sydney. One day, out of the blue, he gets a call from his real-life wife, Marion (played by Jessica Phillips), who he had a child with six years ago but has never met, Benji (played by Luke Mannikus and Ashton Woerz who rotate the role). His son wants to meet him, and he wants to meet his son. Cajoled by Marion to bring his show to the casino where he works in Alice Springs, he recruits several of his friends (played by Nick Adams and the FABULOUS Tony Sheldon) to help him create an act fit for a small town. Low on funds, they jump on a beat-up bus called “Priscilla”. Along the way, they encounter supporters, bigots and one of the characters even falls in love.
Developed by Simon Phillips and adapted from his screenplay by the film’s writer-director Stephan Elliott with Allan Scott, Priscilla is entertaining, much like Mama Mia. It’s campy, the numbers are impressive, the costumes quite glorious.
But it’s not perfect. The first act ends without much point. Usually when the curtain goes down, there’s a plot twist or a cliff-hanger. When the curtain goes down in Priscilla, you wonder if it’s time to go home. Thankfully, the plot thickens in the second act, and the singing and dancing, as well as the strength of the talent in the starring trio makes the show go on. And while I did spend a bit too much time wondering if the star, Will Swenson, is really a drag queen in real life (he’s engage to Audrey McDonald so is clearly not), I did love the music.
If you’re looking for a discount on tickets to Priscilla, you can get deep discounts on Broadway Box. Check out when Bette Midler, one of the show’s producers brought the show recently to the Today Show. Check out the head dresses and glaring, brilliant costumes.
Disclosure: I received a pair of complimentary tickets to facilitate this review but all opinions expressed are my own.
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