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Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
**** AN unseasonably cold, drab Monday evening
in Wolverhampton, metamorphosed into the warmth and colour of the
Australian desert drag and transgendered scene, as Priscilla rolled into
town as part of a very successful nationwide tour. Spare seats were at a
premium. The story, a road trip from Sidney to Alice
Springs, taking three performers to the desert outpost for very
different reasons, does not in itself seem remarkable, but the alchemy
of this stage production is. Costuming, courtesy of Tim Chappel and Lizzy
Gardiner is lavish, colourful and show defining. Its origins lie in the
1994 film, by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, The Adventures of
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, but the musical did not debut until
2006. Legend has it that show producer Scott can sing
the scores of some three dozen musicals. That knowledge, grasp and touch
for musical theatre is much in evidence here. Musically, the songs are culled from the club
scene of the eighties. Mathew Loughran, musical director, and Michael
Waters, sound design, have done a fine job both with song choice and
with the arrangements using a live band, orchestrations by Stephen
“Spud” Murphy and Charlie Hull. Star of the show is boy
band heartthrob Duncan James, from Blue, who plays Tick, a drag queen
who wants to travel to Alice Springs to see his wife and young son
aboard a rickety old coach christened Priscilla. James carries the role
with ease, and on I Say a Little Prayer
For You and
Always on my Mind
sings with power and conviction, a trait demonstrated by the entire,
substantial cast.
On one level this is a slick, very well produced,
jukebox musical. Yet its appeal reaches beyond. The recent news has been
dominated by concerns about anti-semitism and migrant flight. Here, in
microcosm, we have a minority community following its dreams, giving the
show a heart and warmth which transcends its format. Perhaps the most compelling performance comes
from Simon Green as Bernadette, whose ageing female persona is alluring,
tragic but life affirming. Understated in a way his two lead performing
companions, Tick and Felicia are not, he anchors the show from drifting
off into plain Burlesque. Adam Bailey has the fun, flouncy part as the
irritating Felicia, with the camp button always turned to the maximum.
It is only when he is fully dressed, and sings Hot Stuff that his
natural talent emerges, giving the song, which is often routine, an edge
and poignancy rarely apparent in the renditions of other singers. Production values are glitzy and opulent, with
the focus on costuming and the bus. The choreography, originally by the
late Ross Coleman, and now in the hands of Andrew Hallsworth is sharp,
with an eye for the panorama of the stage, including the airborne divas! It is pretty much impossible to watch this show
without clapping your hands, tapping your feet, and singing along to the
club classic score. The energy injected into this opening night from a
large talented cast was impressive, as were the smiles and standing
ovation at the end from the audience. The show runs till Saturday 7th
May and continues on nationwide tour. Gary Longden 02-05-16 http://www.priscillathemusical.com/uk-tour/home/
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