Priscilla Queen of the Desert

5
Jason Donovan takes the beautiful bus to Alice Springs
By Robert Iles - 17th Apr 2013

Priscilla Queen of the Desert on tour. Photo by Paul Coltas

Gosh I needed that!

What a complete delight, a show so gloriously daft, joyous, exciting and spectacular that you can do nothing but smile all the way through and stand and applaud at the end! This really defines "feel good" as the cast power their way through classic songs with a drag diva twist.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert on tour. Photo by Paul ColtasThe story, based on the original film, is nice but thin and is not really what the show is all about - this is a drag/transexual diva show that comes at you all guns blazing and dares you not to enjoy yourself. Divas sing, drag artists mime, costumes get more and more flamboyant and everyone has a great time. I want my funeral to be like that one ....

Jason Donovan as Tick provides the thrust of the story and carries off the actual plot line very convicingly (within the somehat bizarre style of this musical!) and Graham Weaver's Felicia is as brash and irritating as you could wish for but it was, for me, Richard Grieve's Bernadette that was the really watchable, believable and sympathetic character who gave us some classy performances.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert on tour. Photo by Paul ColtasThe cast give it their all, especially the glorious flying Divas who were just fab and Giles Watling's beautifully understated (tricky in this context) Bob - a delight ...

I would go and see this again, happily, at the drop of a hat (or feather boa) but tickets are already hard to come by ...  no wonder, this show is pure delight, I'm smiling still ....

Photos by Paul Coltas


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