PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT - THEATRE REVIEW

PERFORMANCED REVIEWED: Tues 20 Oct (Press Night)

For a show dripping in overt, campy excess, enormous heels and even larger wigs, not to mention some of musical theatre’s most outstanding (in every sense of the word) costumes, it seems very fitting that Priscilla: Queen of the Desert - The Musical is a production keen to outdo itself. With a highly acclaimed, award-winning West End run under its sparkly belt and a previous UK tour which I twice happily awarded a very deserved 5 star rating to, one could almost excuse a show of such freshness and buoyancy were it to coast. Admirably, and somewhat amazingly, however, this latest touring production has not only actively avoided going down the complacent same-old, same-old route, but indeed somehow managed to make an even bigger, better, camper and more colourful spectacle of what was already a fantastic, supremely entertaining romp of a show.

The jukebox musical, i.e. one where the soundtrack consists of a variety of pre-existing songs and hits as is the case with Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, can be a deceptively difficult thing to pull off well. Whilst a good lineup of known hits will help engage and familiarise an audience immediately, too often the lack of a concise and tailored original score and repertoire of songs can find shows scrambling for their own identities or, even worse, leaning on it’s catalogue of pre-existing tunes to mask a dirth of character, plot or original thinking and creativity.

Fortunately, Priscilla is an outrageously entertaining example of the jukebox done very, very right.  Based on the modestly successful 1994 comedy which has since gained quite the cult following (and rightly bagged an Oscar for Costume Design), this musical adaptation is a wonderfully extrovert, gloriously camp and relentlessly enjoyable celebration of disco, drag queens and unconventional daddy dilemmas.

Following the general premise and plot of the movie, Priscilla sees ageing, somewhat disenfranchised drag queen Tick/Mitzi (Jason Donovan) embark on a Trans-Australia road trip aboard the titular tour bus to head up a drag act engagement in Alice Springs, Nowhere-ville as a favour for his 'wife' Marion (Naomi Slights), and in the hopes of re-entering the life of eight year old son Benji (Toby Gretton, reviewed). To aid him on his journey and the show at the end of the rainbow road, he enlists the company of recently widowed transexual Bernadette (Simon Green) and hyperactive, hypersexualised young drag queen Adam/Felicia Jollygoodfellow (Adam Bailey).

The relationship between the three leads forms the core and indeed heart of the show and it is a dynamic brilliantly realised, punctuated with some incredibly sharp yet considered writing that certainly celebrates spectacle and showmanship yet at the same time nurtures character delicately and touches upon important social issues of homophobia, trans acceptance and even more universal notions as fatherhood and ageing with surprising poignancy and subtlety. It’s also telling that the shows grand visual moments (of which there are plenty) do not seek to force any particular propoganda or perspective down our throats but are rather joyous, hilarious celebrations of expressing oneself and just having a damn good time.

When Priscilla does tackle the heavier issues it does so with impressive restraint, and demonstrated through endearing, relatable characters and devoid of any overt social commentary placed front and centre. It doesn’t force or ask you to accept these characters or their lifestyle, but rather they win you over and do so relatively quickly by being engaging, rounded and entertaining individuals with a wealth of passion, wit and warmth.

For all of its genuine nuance, however, Priscilla is nonetheless undoubtedly a big, exciting, brilliantly flamboyant visual treat, and as mentioned this latest production considerably ups the ante on what was already quite the opulent feast. The work done by Brian Thomson and team in realising the titular vehicle more fully than ever before, as well as far more expansive and grandiose staging, truly pulls this latest tour above and beyond even what its West End predecessor offered. For instance - what was once a tall, elevated chair during the La Traviata homage is now a fully realised, glistening, glorious high heel from which Bailey’s Felicia gesticulates - just one of countless examples that demonstrate this Priscilla’s production values as being demonstrably higher. Thomson’s work is brilliantly abetted by Nick Richings and Matt Grounds’ dazzling lighting and sound design, which again up the ante considerably on what has come before - this is full D-I-S-C-O, and make no mistake.

The outrageous, brilliantly inventive and almost overwhelmingly varied menagerie of Oscar-winning Lizzy Gardiner’s costumes continue to be a highlight throughout, and help cement Priscilla as one of the most visceral, colourful and vibrant musical theatre experiences of recent memory. This bombastic, celebratory approach naturally carries through to the performances and choreography, with the soundtrack including the likes of such classics as ‘It’s Raining Men’, ‘I Say A Little Prayer’, ‘I Will Survive’ and ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ and even a couple of numbers which were previously absent from the tour being re-instated (including it’s ‘Downtown’ opener). Priscilla’s jukebox hits are all knowingly, and in some cases ironically ushered in (just wait for the show’s take on ‘Pop Musik’), and the feel-good factor is simply off the charts as the audience crackles with the same excitement, energy and fun that all involved in the show are clearly having. 

Chief amongst these are the show's principle cast - including the supremely talented Lisa-Marie Holmes, Laura Mansell and Catherine Mort who deliver knock-out vocals throughout the show as the three, muse-like ‘divas’ who frequently offer up many of the show’s biggest hits. Julie Yammanee is hysterically funny as raucous mail-order bride Cynthia, and talented young Toby Gretton gave an articulate and convincing performance as young Benji in the performance reviewed.

However, this is a show which belongs to it’s three leads, and it is a trifecta of strong performances. Jason Donovan throws himself into the campness of the role well, and sells the struggle of an unsure, conflicted father with tenderness and believability. Vocally he stays clearly of any grandiose bel​ting or reaching in favour of a softer approach, though this is in keeping with his character, even if Donavan at times seemed to flag in some of the dance routines. Simon Green offers a solid Bernadette, though the writing for the character is so strong it is a difficult character not to enjoy regardless, and Richard Grieve’s more wilful turn in the role is slightly missed.

Most surprisingly this time round, however, is Adam Bailey as Adam/Felicia. Again, the character on paper is devilishly good fun yet with just enough depth and arc to ultimately be endearing, but Bailey by some measure offers the strongest interpretation yet of the character, West End included. He not only looks, sounds and dances the part brilliantly, offering some fantastic vocals in numbers such as ‘Hot Stuff’ and ‘Confide In Me’ in particular, but embodies the role wholly - disappearing completely into the feisty, bubbling bombshell of a character and giving, somewhat unexpectedly given the character, the show’s strongest turn.

In all though, it’s nigh-impossible to not recommend Priscilla: Queen of the Desert as a near-perfect slice of musical theatre entertainment that has just... somehow... gotten even better. It is so unashamedly celebratory and up-tempo, trucking along at a brisk pace, set to a soundtrack to die for and with an almost dizzying number of set pieces and encounters each more hilarious and inventive than the last. Although the second act does fumble somewhat haphazardly into it’s finale, with the anticipated ‘Hot Springs’ headline act quite literally fast-forwarded through somewhat disappointingly, the final character beats ring true and are satisfyingly forward-thinking without being too neatly tied up or atypical. 

And by the time the curtain call begins and the costume design goes full-outback with kangaroos, koalas and all other manner of Australian critters donning the stage, the entire audience are on their feet in almost rapturous ovation, and rightly so. Few shows come round that balance character, story, message, spectacle, comedy, pathos, music and sheer joy so perfectly and exuberantly, and then see fit to somehow outdo itself all over again. This is Priscilla the best it has ever been - a toe-tapping, eye-popping delight and an exuberant, relentlessly joyous and heartily re-affirming road trip well worth taking.

RATING - ★★★★★

PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT - THE MUSICAL is running at the NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE, Birmingham, from Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 Oct 2015. 

CLICK HERE for more information on the show's run at the New Alexandra Theatre and to book your own tickets!

Alternatively, telephone the theatre's booking line direct on 0844 871 3011.

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Press tickets for this performance of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert - The Musical were provided courtesy of the New Alexandra Theatre directly. The author gratefully acknowledges their generous invitation.

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