Take three drag queens, some singing divas, a very busy ensemble cast, upbeat disco music a dizzying number of costume changes and a bus with sparkling lights and a large stiletto shoe on the roof and you’ve got Musical Theatre Gisborne’s production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
The narrative, as with the original 1994 film, follows three Sydney drag artists on a road trip to Alice Springs to perform at a casino. But Tick (Andrew Stevens) has an ulterior motive — to reconnect with his young son.
Bernadette played by transgender woman Joanne Neilson needs a distraction from the death of her lover Trumpet, while Adam (James Packman) wants to climb the top of Uluru/Ayers Rock in a frock and sing Kylie tunes. They have engine troubles along the way when we are introduced to Bernadette’s love interest, mechanic Bob, played by Treva Rice.
The disco hits just keep coming and you’ll know them all, Venus, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, I Will Survive and Donna Summer’s MacArthur Park where Tick bursts into a full production number with the ensemble twirling in cupcake outfits.
The mega mix continues with a fashion parade of Australian flora and fauna, the cast dressed as cactus, kangaroos and cockatoos.
There are some tender moments played beautifully by Stevens when he worries that his estranged son Benji (Jaxon Siata) is not going to cope with having a drag queen as a father and a touching scene when he sings the Elvis song Always on My Mind to Benji while tucking him into bed.
Stevens is in fine voice throughout and the singing overall is impressive with standouts being I Will Survive sung by the diva (LJ Mills) and lip-synced by Bernadette and I Say A Little Prayer sung by Tick and the divas.
It was heartening to see MTG take on this ambitious production, which celebrates the art of drag. When their bus is graffitied with the message “F**k Off F*****s” we are reminded about the prejudice that still exists in the world. But Priscilla’s message is that we all deserve love and acceptance.
Director Dean McKerras has choreographed the show to make the most of his dancers with Tirzah Rolfe, Steph McLeod and Emily Gillies taking on the more challenging choreography, giving tight and polished performances.
In Venus the choreography and costuming are in perfect harmony and Bob’s wife Cynthia (LJ Mills) does a very entertaining number Pop Muzik utilising her skills as a former pat pong artist in Thailand.
Priscilla balances the musical genre’s need for live performance while still maintaining the art of lip-synch by having three divas (Heidi Rice, LJ Mills, Zoe Wilson) take on the singing duties for some of the drag songs.
Bob remembers seeing Bernadette in Les Girls decades earlier and it was good to see the reference to the original Les Girls performance which began in the 1960s in Sydney’s Kings Cross.
The finale medley needs some polishing but this will no doubt get better with every show.
This is a high-energy, upbeat musical extravaganza where the laughs keep coming. If you’re looking for a fun night out Priscilla will not disappoint.