Five stars:
There’s a strong heartbeat underlying Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Yes, the 500 costumes used in each performance are never less than stunning (now iconic even), and the mix of gay anthems and pop classics is a sure-fire winner, but it’s the characters who shine most vividly in Simon Phillips seven year old musical, based on the award-winning film of the same name.
This is a tale of three people, all more or less comfortable in their own skins amidst the general tolerance of the big smoke, but when they’re thrown into the Oz Outback and up against the attitude of the locals, their metal is tested to the limit.
First up, there’s the happy-go-lucky one, Adam/Felicia (Graham Weaver), a youngster with a love of Kylie and all the boundless energy of a licky puppy plus its capacity to annoy the hell out of you. Then there’s Tick/Mitzi (ex-Hear’say’s Noel Sullivan) who’s keen not to pigeonhole himself and has a rather surprising couple of secrets. Lastly, there’s Bernadette (Richard Grieve), an elegant transexual, older than the other two, who’s been there, done that, and got the t-shirt (although she’d rather be seen dead than wear anything as unflattering as a t-shirt, dahling).
Together, they set off on a journey of self-discovery through the wonderful land of Oz with the audience being towed in a rather large trailer at a discrete distance behind the eponymous not-so-trusty bus.
The marvel of it is that within a span of just 180 minutes so much is packed in. Fully fleshed-out characters (well, OK, Felicia is a bit sketchy, but only because she’s still a baby) spring out from the stage amidst a sea of glorious numbers that really do come at you every few minutes. It zips along at a real old lick, stopping every now and again to show us a deeper aspect to a character before it revs up and starts bombing along the dusty road again.
This slightly pared-down touring version of the show still fills the whole of the stage with it’s Greek chorus of Mr Whippy-haired angels hovering above everyone’s heads and it’s simple background of an LED curtain of lights which adds pazazz to every scene just by twinkling in different colours. The bus may be just a metal frame compared to the full one used in London but it works just as well, with four mounted screens set up to show us the journey she and we are taking through Oz. There’ve been a few cuts to the script to tighten it up a little but all of the best bitchy lines are still included, and pretty much all of the best characters (although the Aboriginal chappy has gone completely).
Priscilla abounds with memorable cameos even if, in a minor quibble, they’re mostly women and mostly unflattering. Bouncy-titted bar owner Shirley (Ellie Leah) is still making every woman’s eyes water, while ping pong punanied Cynthia (Frances Mayli McCann) has probably the best comic turn of the evening as the shrill, limelight-loving wife of Bob (Giles Watling), Bernadette’s love interest. She managed to raise the biggest and heartiest laugh of the night, while Miss Understanding’s (Alan Hunter) Tina Turner impression came a close second.
I wasn’t holding out much hope for Noel Sullivan simply because I was being a reality TV snob, but he played Tick perfectly. He’s got a lovely voice, well suited to musical theatre as he can go from belter to tearjerker in the blink of an eye (his duet with his son at the end had my mum in tears, but then that’s not difficult – I manage it almost every day). He’s also surprisingly gorgeous on stage.
Graham Weaver’s Felicia grew on me as the evening went on. An ensemble member in the London cast, Weaver has a fine, subtle voice which felt a little lost to begin with, but what his voice lacks in oomph his body makes up with in phwoarr, running around in tight little pants when he’s not costumed up to the hilt. His Adonis chest is worth the admission price on its own.
Again, reading the programme before the curtain went up, my anti-TV, anti-reality show prejudice kicked in when I saw that Richard Grieve had been not only in Neighbours, but also Home and Away and (god help us all) Emmerdale. By the end of the evening I’d had a good old rethink as his Bernadette is pretty much as good as Tony Sheldon’s, the actor who developed the musical role and played her for five years. Tall and beautifully elegant, dressed in timeless classics, Grieve plays the part much as Sheldon did, with a quiet grace masking metaphorical balls of steel. And it’s so nice to have an older character to root for, even one played by a youngish actor!
There’s not much more to say apart from the touring Priscilla is just as much of an out-and-out joy to behold as the static version. If you missed it in London then you’re in for a huge treat: if you did catch it at the Palace, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how well it’s translated. It’s certainly the fullest, biggest, brightest, glitziest, classiest show I’ve ever seen at a provincial theatre and the audience who gave it a standing ovation even before it ended seemed to agree.
If you can’t catch it this week, remember that it’s the Theatre Royal Brighton’s answer to the Christmas Panto this year, playing from December 17 through to January 5.
WHAT: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
WHERE: Congress Theatre, Carlisle Road, Eastbourne, then at the Theatre Royal, Brighton over Christmas
WHEN: Until August 17, 7.30pm, Thurs & Sat mats 2.30pm, then from December 17 – January 5 at the Theatre Royal, Brighton
TICKETS: £15 – £37 concs available
RUNNING TIME: about two and a half hours, including interval
MORE INFO: CLICK HERE:
WOULD I SEE IT AGAIN: Why yes, of course. Oz awaits at the Theatre Royal Brighton this Xmas……
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