ON THEROAD:Priscilla
PRISCILLA:QUEEN OF THEWESTEND
GARISHLY COLOURFUL,EXCESSIVEANDABSOLUT ELYFABULOUS,THEAUSSIE MUSICALHASSETTHE
WESTENDALIGHTWITHITSGENDER-BENDING STORYLINE,RISQUÉJOKESANDAVERYCLEVERBUS.
MARKCUNNINGHAMMINCEDOVERTOTHEPALACETHEATRETOTAKEAPEEK...
Just when you thought London’s by flying divas, endless soft porn references and Really Useful Theatre Company. “The film isn’t a
Theatreland couldn’t get anymore camp, a roll call of über -camp songs from ‘I Love The musical; it’s a film with music, but you could tell
along comes the Australian stage musical Nightlife’, ‘Go West’ and ‘I Will Survive’ to ‘Hot that it had kind of a musical structure in it and I
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert , in which every Stuff’, ‘Boogie Wonderland’ and a medley of knew we had something.”
possible boundary of conservative taste is Kylie hits. In Australia, the production build cost just
blasted to smithereens... and then some! Directed by Simon Phillips and over AUS$1m, and the costumes alone totalled
Opened in the West End at the Palace choreographed by Ross Coleman, this AUS$1.3m. The London figures, said McQuinn,
Theatre on March 23, the musical — based on production has arrived in London after a record- have been roughly comparable.
the 1994 movie ‘The Adventures of Priscilla, breaking run in its Aussie homeland. Its history “By the time this opens, we would’ve been
Queen of the Desert’ and the book by Stephan goes back six years to a meeting at an Islington in set up mode for over three months, having
Elliott and Allan Scott — follows the story of restaurant between lead producers Liz Koops got in at the beginning of January as soon as
a trio of drag queens who take their show to and Garry McQuinn of Back Row Productions Spamalot moved out. That’s fairly average for a
the middle of the Australian outback aboard a and one of the movie’s producers. show of this size and in fact the people who are
battered old bus nicknamed Priscilla. “Over dinner, I was asked if I thought Priscilla taking this show in Toronto are planning a four
For the main characters — Tick/Mitzi (Jason would make a good musical. It was one of month set-up schedule.
Donovan), Bernadette (Tony Sheldon) and those classic lightbulb moments,” said McQuinn “It’s bizarre really. I grew up in stage
Adam/Felicia (Oliver Thornton) — it’s a journey who also shares production credits with Michael management and I remember getting a show
of self-discovery and anticipation, punctuated Hamlyn for Specific Films, Allan Scott and the open at the end of week one, so for me this is
TPiMAY 09 • 33
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