After a decade road tripping around the planet, Priscilla returns to Australia with a glittery new coat of paint.
For ten years, the musical theatre adaptation of Stephen Elliott’s iconic 1994 drag queen road movie, 'Priscilla: Queen of the Desert', has traversed the planet, playing to 134 cities in 29 countries. It returns home to celebrate recent advances in LGBTQI equality.
The story of three queer drag performers journeying to the centre of our continent on a dilapidated greyhound bus has persistently resonated across cultures for almost 25 years, defying the doubters.
This is a mammoth production, a sensory overload of colour and choreography, where some of the biggest stars never physically graced the stage. The artistic flourish of choreographer Andrew Hallsworth, the precision of bus designer Brian Thomson and the imagination of costume designers Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner imbued almost every moment; the cast rarely stopped dancing or changing costumes for over two hours; the bus was rarely far from sight.
The talents of the ensemble cast, though, somehow managed to rival for attention this abundance of visual glitz and glamour. Original cast members Tony Sheldon, as Bernadette, and Lena Cruz, as Cynthia, were joined by a predominantly fresh crop of emerging talent, like Euan Doidge as Adam/Felicia, and established stars such as David Harris, who plays Tick/Mitzi, and Robert Grubb as Bob.
After more than 1,750 performances, Tony Sheldon has truly stamped his name on the role of the nut-cracking matriarch of the bus, Bernadette. It was a privilege to watch his refined characterisation, which saw him nominated for a Tony Award during its US run.
David Harris immaculately conveyed an inner conflict, as he alternated between the flamboyant stage persona of Mitzi and the insecurity and doubt of Tick, a gay man battling with his identity. The voice that has shared the stage with musical royalty such as Michael Ball and Lea Salonga stunned on ‘I Say A Little Prayer’ and ‘Always On My Mind’. His rendition of the Elvis classic, in particular, impacted upon the heart as powerfully as a diet of deep-fried peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches.
It was Euan Doidge, though, who stole the show, with a gymnast’s physique paired with vocal and comedic agility. Before this performance, it was hard to imagine anyone but Guy Pearce embodying the role of Felicia; afterwards, it is hard to imagine anyone but Euan.
As a counterpoint to the extraversion of the leading trio, Robert Grubb was a stoic splendour as the repressed quintessential Aussie bloke, Bob. His mournful reminiscence on the reprise of ‘A Fine Romance’ was another highlight of the evening.
Lena Cruz and Emma Powell, as Cynthia and Shirley, injected riotous humour into a show already overflowing with gags.
Like the film before it, 'Priscilla: The Musical'’s international success has shattered boundaries. It is a show with more disco hits and costume changes than Diana Ross; a visual spectacle, a logistical marvel, a triumph in choreography. At its core, the show has captured hearts with a message of universal application.
This message is encapsulated by the lyrics of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colours’, which, although not included in original cast recordings, now poignantly features during a pivotal act one scene. After a demonstration of hate and prejudice, the sung response is “don't be afraid to let them show your true colours. True colours are beautiful like a rainbow”.
The show speaks to members of the rainbow community, but also to anyone who has feared that they cannot be loved as they are, for whatever reason, and who suppress their true existence in shame.
The conclusion is that we all belong, no matter who we are.
★★★★★
