At first I was afraid, I was petrified...

We went en masse to see what may well turn out to be the most spectacular, the most uplifting and most fabulous show of my life! Mere words cannot describe the sheer exuberance of the experience - all twelve of us were completely blown away by it, and want to see it again.

Taking the "simple" premise of transferring one of the gayest movies ever Priscilla Queen of The Desert to the stage, the producers and designers have had a field day with this one. No excuse is wasted for a magnificently over-the-top glitteringly costumed dance number - from the opening funeral scene to the Alice Springs cabaret show itself (which is, as anyone familiar with the story knows, is the whole reason these three mismatched drag artistes are travelling across Oz in the first place).

And what dance numbers! A cavalcade of camp disco classics pumps out the theme to the different stages of the story - Don't Leave Me This Way, Go West, Boogie Wonderland, I Will Survive, MacArthur Park, Finally, and songs from Tina Turner, Petula Clark, Joni Mitchell, Cyndi Lauper, and of course Kylie! You will never see costumes and choreography like this in your life...



The dancers are all brilliant, with especial mention for the character players such as the "Tina drag/Miss Understood" and the fat woman in the infamous bar scene. They all have such energy, as they meet the demands of costume change after extravagant costume change without seemingly stopping for breath.

The three divas perpetually suspended above the action are magnificent singers who keep the whole thing together. And of course the Thai bride who does her unspeakable act with ping-pong balls (to the classic Pop Musik incidentally) is a show-stopper.



Tony Sheldon is fantastic as Bernadette the hard-bitten transsexual (complete with a hairdo that looks suspiciously like Madonna's), and, as in the film, gets all the biggest and best lines. Oliver Thornton portrays the ultra-fem, ultra-bitchy Felicia/Adam superbly (and has the most beautiful toned body to boot, even swathed in acres of lurex!). Jason Donovan as Tick/Mitzi may not be the most outrageous, nor the most talented, of the lead trio but his is the most troubled and sombre character to play, and I think he projected all those emotions (while teetering around in the most ridiculous platforms and chiffon) with aplomb. The three stars alone have more than twenty costume changes - some done at lightning-fast speed, each one more extravagant than the last - and they wear it so well...



So who or what is the true star of the show? As well as the exuberance of the lead actors, the energy of the dancers and singers, and the breath-taking costumes, the biggest star has to be Priscilla herself! The centre of most of the action, this million-pound monster bus (complete with its sign "Rear Entry - Upon Request") provides the most spectacular transformations of all. Painting it pink results in a mass of illuminated fairy lights to appear all over its sixty-foot body (which from then on keep changing to suit the mood), the open sided interior is the focus for some of the best scenes, and as for Felicia's sparkling diva moment singing Aida seated on a sparkly shoe on the roof - that has to be seen to be believed!

Oh, and did I mention? It's just a teensy weeny bit camp...

This is a performance no-one should miss. You are absolutely guaranteed to leave feeling happier than you ever thought you would from seeing a show, covered in confetti, dazzled by the biggest glitter-ball in the world, aurally battered by disco songs you had forgotten you really loved, and perhaps for the first time wanting to put on an outrageously over-the-top frock and belt out a medley of Kylie songs from the top of a rock in the middle of the desert... Believe me, you will!

Priscila Queen of the Desert (West End cast)

Priscilla - The Musical website