Priscilla: Queen Of The PalaceAs
noted late last night, it didn't take long after
West Side Story's closing notice to be posted for producers of the international hit musical
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert to announce that the glittery show would occupy the newly vacant space at Broadway's
Palace Theatre come February.
Back in December 2006, I first caught
and enjoyed this ultra-campy disco jukebox musical version of the
film with music not too long after it enjoyed its world premiere in Sydney, Australia.
The show eventually moved on to
London (where it is still performing) and is now slated to come to Great White Way by way of
Toronto, where it begins previews October 12. The production will star
Will Swenson (
Hair) as Tick,
Nick Adams (
A Chorus Line) as Felicia, alongside the extraordinary
Tony Sheldon, who originated the role of Bernadette in Sydney.
But like many other shows, the road to Broadway -- to say nothing of the rocky roads within Australia -- provided a very bumpy ride that wasn't all sequins and tiaras. In July 2007, I
detailed the dramatic twists and turns as they were recounted to me from someone very close to the original production in Sydney.
Like I said just over three years ago, "At least when the day comes when
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical is about to open on Broadway, you'll have a greater appreciation for how it got so far."
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert begins preview performances at Broadway's Palace Theatre on February 28, 2011, and opens March 20.
This is
Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. Labels: Australia, Broadway, First Word On New Show, London, Musical, Nick Adams, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, Tony Sheldon, Will Swenson
Priscilla Vies To Be Queen Of The West EndRegular readers will recall
what a guilty pleasure it was for me to see the outrageously over-the-top stage adaptation of Aussie fave
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert while in Sydney last December.
Even as the Australian production is just now preparing to open at Melbourne's
Regent Theatre (which, next July, will become the home in Oz to
Wicked), now comes
the news that
Priscilla will ditch the bus (figuratively speaking) and fly to London's West End. Despite
Andrew Lloyd Webber's
Really Useful Group serving as co-producer, the production that will land in the United Kingdom late next year promises to be "true to its Australian" roots.
Additionally, there are talks of bringing a touring production to the United States sometime in 2009. What would be really useful to know is whether American audiences are really ready.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Melbourne ticket information.
Related Stories:
Tick, Tick, Bernadette (And Mitzi, Too) (July 25, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Musicals (May 22, 2007)
The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical (The SOB Review) (December 30, 2006)
Priscilla Opens Down Under (October 14, 2006)
Finally! Stage Musical Version of Priscilla - Queen of the Desert to Roll into Sydney (July 5, 2006)Labels: Australia, Film, First Word On New Show, London, Musical, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, Touring Production
Tick, Tick, Bernadette (And Mitzi, Too) So
Michael Riedel of the New York Post has gone Down Under. Taking in the enormously popular stage version of
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical, everyone's favorite theatre gossip tells us that its producers have begun prepping the show for runs in the West End and on Broadway.
But Riedel also hints at the show's inner turmoil with its book, which he personally recommends remedying for the Great White Way by bringing in
Harvey Fierstein or
Douglas Carter Beane.
Now playing in both Sydney and Melbourne (on September 2, the show will close in Sydney, where it premiered last year), I've heard plenty about the behind-the-scenes difficulties along the way. As you may recall,
I even took in a rather early version last December and found it to be a campy hoot -- even better than reigning Broadway camp darling
Xanadu.
After creating the
film version in 1992,
Stephan Elliott experienced a bomb with his next and fourth flick in 1997 ("
Welcome To The Woop-Woop"). He sold the stage rights of his true hit to Englishman Alan Scott. Still, Elliott was asked to write a stage version and created an entirely new script that was a complete departure from the plot of the film.
But that version was trashed, and instead, the team headed into the first workshop with the film script in hand and
Tony Sheldon and director
Simon Phillips handling most of the dramaturgical work.
For the second workshop the script, Scott added most of the detail surrounding the storyline involving Tick's son, including a Lego scene. By that time, Philip Scott was brought in to "joke up" the script. Entering the workshop, he reworked much of the script to maintain character consistency while adding more humor.
It was at that stage that Elliott absolved himself of the show and turned on the production by saying publicly that it was ill-conceived.
Unfettered, the production team headed into rehearsals, with Philip Scott handling one-off rewrites, and surprise! The show opened to mostly positive reviews and built a head of steam through excellent word of mouth. The buzz I was hearing from Australia was tremendous -- even despite difficulties during the first week of previews when the pivotal bus literally broke down the show.
With the original film being one of Australia's all-time favorite movies, the stage adaptation already had a built-in audience. So it wasn't a surprise when opening night was described to me as being "extraordinary with such goodwill."
Suddenly realizing that they had a hit on their hands, Stephan Elliott reasserted himself back into the picture (with the assent of the producers) and slowly began altering the script and reincorporating dialog he had written. Those changes have been described to me as "changes for changes sake rather than making it better," and began to appear on the stage shortly after I saw the production in December.
Among the alterations was a speech by Bernadette after the bus was defaced in which she said, "So much space and yet no room for us out here." That was changed to what's described to me as a "rant against how vile suburbia was and the only place gays were safe was the city."
Last I heard, the film speech was back.
And if all that background isn't enough, Philip Scott himself authored his own behind-the-scenes story, "Scripting Priscilla" that appeared in
SX, a gay Australian publication. While the story is no longer available online, my sources have provided me with the copy for publication here:
“SCRIPTING PRISCILLA”
When Stephan Elliott’s movie "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" was released I knew very little about drag. I remember being turned on by Guy Pearce’s pumped pecs peeking out from under a feather boa; steroids had done their work well, I was later told. (If you don’t believe me, take another look at "Memento.") I recall being slightly turned off by Terence Stamp’s grumpy Bernadette, thinking her unsympathetic as a person and uncomfortable as a drag performer. I preferred Stamp when he was blonde and boyish in Ustinov’s 1962 movie of "Billy Budd." In fact, as a young man Terence Stamp looked rather like Stephan Elliott.
In late ‘94 I appeared in the Tilbury Hotel’s Christmas Panto, Pavlova, Queen of the Dessert, which sent the movie up. One night, Stephan Elliott’s parents came to see the show and his dad made an impromptu speech from the stage. “He didn’t get all this from my side of the family,” his dad insisted.
Twelve years later, I had dinner with Stephan at the home of his friend and sometime investor Rebel Penfold. Her house at Bondi is built on a cliff and looks directly across to Icebergs. She owns a lampshade from the original Broadway production of The Pajama Game. Serious money; serious wine cellar.
Stephan was sussing me out to be a co-writer on the stage version of Priscilla. He grilled a gigantic steak and we chatted about the project (but not too much, as there was no deal in place). I’d watched the DVD again that afternoon, and realised the camera did all the work. A close-up of Terence Stamp or Hugo Weaving shows us a life story without anyone having to say a lot about it, but on stage these characters would need to talk (or sing) to make us care about them.
More wine appeared. Stephan talked about his serious skiing accident. He had busted his pelvis and had learned to walk again from scratch. His life is like that; kind of on the edge.
I would be arriving late in the show’s creative process. There had already been an early workshop in Melbourne, home of the director Simon Phillips. It had utilised the talents of Tony Sheldon as Bernadette, Jeremy Sandford as Mitzi, Spencer McLaren as Felicia, and John Wood as Bob the mechanic. Two script drafts had been used, radically different from each other and both miles away from the movie -- especially Stephan’s quirky, tangential rethink, which the producers rejected.
Stephan had sold the stage rights of Priscilla to an English scriptwriter named Allan Scott, whose credits include "Dante’s Peak." Since then the two had had a falling out. Allan is one of the producers of the stage musical, and later told me he had invited Stephan to participate, even though he need not have done so since Stephan no longer had any legal claim on the work. No way was I buying into that argument!
Eventually I was on board, and headed off to Melbourne for the second Priscilla workshop. By this time, I had acquired a working knowledge of drag, having written dialogue for the DIVAs and spent many nights at the Imperial hotel (some of which I could even vaguely remember).
As we sat around on day one to read the existing script, Tony Sheldon tapped me on the arm.
“Well?” he asked, “Where are all these jokes you’re supposed to be putting in?” I freaked. “Stop it!” I said. “I’m here under false pretences! Don’t you ever feel like that?” He smiled. “Always,” he whispered.
I was nervous because part of my job was to work with Allan Scott, and basically to be liked by him. I would be the trusted middleman between Allan and Stephan (who was not coming). Me, a diplomat? I couldn’t see it. Luckily I found Allan genial, receptive and -- like any professional writer -- anxious to fix things that weren’t working. I discovered he had been a stand-up comic in Australia, appearing on Graham Kennedy’s show in the 1960s.
My first contribution was a gag about Azaria Chamberlain. It got a roar from the cast but also a few “ooohs.”
“Is that going to be offensive?” Simon asked. “No,” I assured him, “it’s hysterical”. (He shouldn’t have asked me: I’m always amused by things that upset other people.) The joke stayed in for opening night, although it remains in brackets in the official script.
We retained iconic lines from the movie, because punters would expect to hear them and because they were punchy, then added new gags and specific character-driven moments. I think Stephan was worried the producers might tone down the gay content -- though it’s hard to imagine how, without completely altering the whole premise. A more pressing problem was language: there are a fair few “f***s” in Priscilla. It’s hard to believe people get worked up over swearing when there’s so much else in the world to worry about.
Still, we wanted their money so we walked that tightrope. By week’s end the script was almost as advanced as plans for the opening night party.
When rehearsals began for real, casting was complete. Daniel Scott had been extracted from Dusty to play Felicia (a tricky manoeuvre because he’d signed a run of show contract). My Wharf Revue mate Genevieve Lemon was playing the Broken Hill “mullet.” Sydney drag identity Trevor Ashley had lobbied everyone in sight for a role: he impressed the producers so much at his audition, a new part was created for him (Miss Understanding). Bob was to have been played by Bille Brown, a brilliant actor best known here for his Oscar Wilde in The Judas Kiss. Bille dropped out for reasons unknown and the role went to an actor who epitomises the Aussie everyman: Michael Caton. Michael and Jeremy Sandford immediately demanded more comic lines.
In early September I met up with Stephan in London. Having blown hot and cold about Priscilla, the musical for months, he now seemed happy or at least accepting of it. “As long as they don’t ask me to do any interviews,” he warned. (Later he told an ABC TV interviewer the stage version wouldn’t work!)
With the first performances approaching, the show was beset by technical problems. The bus, a computer-driven nightmare, was taking forever to get right. One of its problems was an over-sensitive safety mechanism: too easily activated, it repeatedly shut everything down, requiring a complete reboot. First and second previews were scrapped, but the Friday preview was to be a sold out charity night with proceeds going to ACON. The producers had to decide which was the best-case PR scenario: cancel altogether or go ahead, explain what was missing, and hope for the best.
In the foyer of the Lyric Theatre that evening I bumped into the show’s publicist, Judith Johnson. She looked stressed. “The show has never been run straight through,” she complained. “Act 2 hasn’t had a technical rehearsal and the lighting’s not finished!” I urged her to relax --though if Darlinghurst turned against Priscilla her job would be hell.
An excited and very queer audience took their seats as Simon Phillips came on stage to flag that the show might stop in its tracks. Did it what! We heard his amplified voice echo throughout the theatre: “Actors! Get out of the way or the bus will take you out.” The audience giggled but the situation was genuinely dangerous.
Fortunately, there was enough goodwill from the crowd to get us through. During each breakdown they applauded encouragingly (little realising the wait might be half an hour or longer). The cast were tremendous under these testing circumstances. For the first time, we saw Tony Sheldon’s witty, human, utterly believable Bernadette.
The bus went back to the depot for the next few performances. Meanwhile, I got a text message on the Monday night: Judith Johnson had collapsed and died that morning of a ruptured aorta. She had been a pillar of the Sydney theatre scene for decades. Everybody was stunned. Judith’s face kept popping into my mind for weeks afterwards.
As technical difficulties were ironed out, further changes were made. Act 2 was too long. I’d always felt there was a traffic jam of slow tempo numbers just when the pace needed to pick up. Clearly Simon felt the same, because he cut one: Eric Carmen’s “All by Myself.” Daniel sang a short reprise of that song at an important dramatic point in Felicia’s story, but now, without the earlier rendition, the reprise got an unexpected laugh and Daniel was furious! On opening night, a reprise of “Go West” appeared in its place; the moment worked properly and Daniel nailed it.
Opening night: Terence Stamp was there, Barry Humphries, Carlotta and, well, the gAy-list. At the after party, Stephan turned to me with a gleam in his eye and announced: “Now we can start to tinker with it!” My heart sank. Didn’t we owe the actors a few weeks to settle in? In any case, Simon and I were moving on to other shows. (Much smaller ones).
I returned a week later as part of a regular audience, all average mums and
dads. Some of them found aspects of Priscilla confronting: mostly the language, sometimes the sexuality. Women responded more readily than men, who seem to regard transvestism as a mysterious and possibly exciting threat.
By the end, the spectacular cossies and set, the music and the performances had won everyone over. Whether that crowd took their newfound tolerance home with them is debatable, but I’d like to think so. Priscilla is a family show -- for a 21st century family.
As Paul Harvey used to say, now you know the rest of the story. But of course, the final chapter hasn't even been written. At least when the day comes when (not if)
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical is about to open on Broadway, you'll have a greater appreciation for how it got so far.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Melbourne tickets.Click here for Sydney tickets.Labels: Australia, Background, Broadway, Film, London, Michael Riedel, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert
The Hits From Coast To Coast
Ever since finally installing a statcounter on Steve On Broadway (SOB) last month, I've been intrigued by which stories are being read the most. In a bit of shameless self-promotion, here's the top ten according to you and other readers, along with some thoughts as to why these stories struck a chord (and for your added convenience, I've provided links to each of the original postings):
10. Were Critics Faithful To Betrayal? - Through May 27, Chicago's Steppenwolf is the place to see the company's incarnation of the Harold Pinter classic. This posting captures the reviews by the
Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones and
Chicago Sun-Times' Hedy Weiss.
8. (tie) Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) - I learned with this story that if you load up an item with all kinds of varied information, ranging from a sequel to
The Phantom Of The Opera to discussions of Daniel Radcliffe's on-stage nudity to
Xanadu's casting (minus, Jane Krakowski, of course), you're bound to get readers. But I also took an unnecessary shot at John Doyle and indicated that Kristen Bell would replace Krakowski; I was wrong on both counts. So sorry!
8. (tie) Curtains (The SOB Review) - With this tuner from Kander & Ebb
and Holmes now in previews (with an opening set for March 22), is it any wonder that buzzomaniacs are wondering what others are saying about the show? I took in the tuner way back last summer in LA and loved it, as evidenced in my four-star SOB Review! Can't wait to see it again on Broadway, either.
7. Curtains Meets The Critics - Just as folks are searching for buzz on the aforementioned show, apparently they also want to know what the Left Coast critics have said. You can get it all via my Critics' Capsule on the show.
6. Holliday: You're Gonna Love Me...Again! - Apparently the fan base of
Dreamgirls just can't get enough of all things Jennifer Hudson
or Holliday. Just as hopes for a new Broadway revival with Miss Hudson are running high, suddenly Miss Holliday snaps us back to reality with the announcement that
she's gonna play Effie Melody White
again...in Atlanta this summer.
5. Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical (The SOB Review) - Welcome to all my Aussie cobbers who have visited this Yank's site to learn just how good the musical version of one of your fave pictures is! Well, what was initially going to be a limited run show at Sydney's Star City Casino through last October has continually expanded its run thanks to its fair dinkum popularity. I saw it in December as a Chrissie prezzie, and the performance was chock! Tickets are now selling through June 10. Good onya!
4. The Glass Menagerie (The SOB Review) - Welcome back to all you Randy Harrison fans worldwide who flocked to see how supposedly "not very positive" I was in my review of your favorite from "Queer As Folk." Well, while I may have quibbled with his meandering accent, I thought he comported himself "reasonably well, particularly in going toe-to-toe with Amanda (Harriet Harris)." You still have until March 25 to fly into Minneapolis to see this production that I awarded 3 1/2 stars out of 4 -- a great show in my book.
3. Dye Is Cast For Legally Blonde Reviews - With Left Coast critics singing this new tuner's praises and with Broadway previews less than a month away (April 3), it's no wonder that Google searches for any tidbit on
Legally Blonde are more common than split ends.
2. Betrayal (The SOB Review) - I was considerably more enthusiastic about the aforementioned Harold Pinter play at Steppenwolf than the critics. Maybe that's why so much traffic came my way. Just for the record, I gave this good, solid production 3 out of 4 stars.
1. The Pirate Queen (The SOB Review) - Two nights ago, this new musical began preview performances on Broadway...less than three months after taking a pretty severe beating from the Chicago critics. I was there on its Windy City opening night and could only muster up a two-star review. While I had hoped the production would have improved, I'm already reading comments from others (like Mike at
The Lunar Gemini), who aren't very impressed. Is there still hope of a salvage operation prior to its April 5 opening night? My bet at this point is it's going to sink.
Thanks to you, dear reader, for checking out
Steve On Broadway. And whether you agree wholeheartedly or think I'm full of it, you're always welcome to leave comments and join the discussion!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Betrayal tickets.Click here for Curtains tickets.Click here for Dreamgirls (Atlanta) ticket information.Click here for Equus tickets.Click here for Legally Blonde tickets.Click here for Priscilla Queen Of The Desert tickets.Click here for The Glass Menagerie tickets.Click here for The Pirate Queen tickets. Labels: Betrayal, Broadway, Curtains, Daniel Radcliffe, Dreamgirls, Equus, Jennifer Holliday, Jennifer Hudson, Legally Blonde, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, The Glass Menagerie, The Pirate Queen, Xanadu
M-G-M: Movies-Going-MusicalDon’t expect to see an end anytime soon to the ongoing phenomenon of films being transformed into stage tuners. Despite some recent backfires (read:
High Fidelity, among others), many more movie-to-musical metamorphoses are already underway.
This Broadway season will see yet another silver screen comedy hit the boards of the Great White Way's Palace Theatre in
Legally Blonde with
Laura Bell Bundy come April, and it’s been all but confirmed that
Mel Brooks’
The Producers will make way later this year for the stage incarnation of his
Young Frankenstein. As previously mentioned, it’s also been announced that
Desperately Seeking Susan is being prepped for the West End.
The trend will surely continue well beyond these few titles. Indeed, when perusing my program from Sydney’s stage musical version of
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, a special message appeared from
Darcie Denkert and
Dean Stolber, veteran film and theatre executives who conceived, developed and run
MGM On Stage, “the industry leader in developing and licensing film properties for live stage presentation.”
In fact, according to the program notes, 25 new projects are already in the works, including the aforementioned
Legally Blonde, along with
The Pink Panther,
Marty,
Moonstruck and
Where's Poppa?Of course, MGM has a breathtaking catalogue from which to select. There will almost assuredly be some missteps along the way. But as long as the batting average remains fairly decent, particularly among audiences enthusiastic about revisiting some of their favorite characters, this twist in adaptations will be here to stay.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Australia, Broadway, Desperately Seeking Susan, Film, High Fidelity, Legally Blonde, Musical, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, The Producers, Young Frankenstein
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical (The SOB Review) - Lyric Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia*** (out of ****)
Last evening, nearly three months into its ever-expanding open-ended Sydney run, I took in
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical, which to be honest can be very difficult to describe to any neophyte not familiar with the
1994 film on which it's based.
It's a sexy, silly, sometimes incoherent, über-campy, often tasteless and crude, completely over-the-top musical if there ever was one. Yet it's ultimately irresistible. And with many of the key motion picture elements roundly being eagerly anticipated and cheered upon delivery -- including the infamous ping pong scene -- the musical itself is, well, a ball.
Just when you think that the book (by
Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott) is teetering dangerously close to the brink of excess, you're either suddenly lurching back to some semblance of reality or finding yourself cheerfully going along for the ride wondering just how far into fantasia this tuner will dare to go.
Sure, it lacks any of the movie's truly subtle moments, and there's nary a trace of ABBA to be found (Kylie Minogue is this version's heralded icon), but with magnificently choreographed numbers by Ross Coleman of everything from the downright anti-funereal "Don't Leave Me This Way" to the celebratory "Go West" to the campy country "I Love The Nightlife" to the giddily glam "Finally," this
Priscilla pulls out all the stops to ensure a good time is had by all.
Surprisingly, the one exception is the desert routine practice from the movie, but that's easily forgiven thanks to numbers like my personal favorite -- with which I finally submitted myself to the evening's wild ride -- "MacArthur Park," a showstopping number that reminded me a bit of how
Mamma Mia! delightfully shoehorned songs into the show with groan-worthy lead-ins.
Part of the success of that number, as well as each of the other huge dance sequences was one delicious costume send-up after another by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, the duo whose creations appeared in the silver screen version. It should be noted here that Chappel knows something of this genre, having earlier been one half of a pair of male dancers called Earring in support of a drag queen.
Naturally, the mark of any good show is the acting. Here,
Tony Sheldon offers a remarkably brilliant Bernadette, the trannie who's given up hope of ever finding a lasting love. Although the normal leads for Tick/Mitzi and Adam/Felicia were out last evening, their understudies -- David Spencer and
Nick Hardcastle, respectively -- provide convincing and endearing portrayals of the other two members of the
queens of the desert.
Yet it's the outstanding supporting performances by
Michael Caton as Bernadette's would-be suitor Bob and
Genevieve Lemon as Broken Hill's Shirley who practically steal the show. Caton offers such a genuinely heartfelt portrayal giving the show some essential gravitas; Lemon on the other hand successfully satirizes a domineering outback bigot who gets her comeuppance from Bernadette.
This is by no means a perfect musical, but it certainly is a wildly entertaining romp and just plain gay, literally and figuratively.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Priscilla Opens Down Under (October 14, 2006)
Finally! Stage Musical Version of Priscilla - Queen of the Desert to Roll into Sydney (July 5, 2006)
Labels: Australia, Film, International, Musical, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, The SOB Review
Priscilla Opens Down Under One week ago today, the stage musical version of one of Australia's campiest films ever opened at Sydney's
Star City Lyric Theatre. The creators of the new $4 million production of
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical reportedly have their sights set on London's West End, Broadway and even Las Vegas.
So how is its initial run faring with some critics?
According to the
Manly Daily, it's a winner: "The much-loved and hugely successful film has been adapted into a musical and it is absolutely fabulous....[I]t is funny, moving, often confronting and definitely uplifting.The three leading ladies, Bernadette (played perfectly by
Tony Sheldon), Mitzi/Tick (
Jeremy Stanford) and Felicia/Adam (
Daniel Scott) are wonderful and remain true to the characters in the film....The show is enhanced with some real Australian talent in
Michael Caton, who is brilliant as the under-stated Bob....But it was
Geneviève Lemon who almost stole the show with her hyped up version of a Broken Hill pub owner named Shirley."
Noting the show's promise,
Bryce Hallett of the
Sydney Morning Herald writes: "Director
Simon Phillips' bold, exuberant and colourful production celebrates the film's spirit of defiance. Though thin on plot, it is big on scene-stealing costumes and the pluck of the drag trio Bernadette, Tick/Mitzi and Adam/Felicia as they travel into Australia's vast interior....
Priscilla is as much a showroom extravaganza as it is a musical....Priscilla needs further development but it's good fun and magical in its crowning moments. It has the makings of a hit."
The Australian's
Deborah Jones is less enthusiastic, saying: "In
Priscilla what's lost -- not completely, but in large measure -- is the complex texture of characters and relationships that give the film its heart and soften and accommodate its crude edges....This picaresque journey is now accompanied by one of the many pop and disco songs that have been cleverly selected so they have some passing relevance to the plot even if they're too lightweight (well, duh) to carry much narrative weight....Of the performers, only the peerless Tony Sheldon's transsexual Bernadette and Michael Caton as her rough-hewn and unexpected admirer consistently break through the cartoony surface."
Even
Variety has weighed in on the show, with
Michaela Boland rendering a mixed verdict saying
Priscilla "...is much like a preening drag queen: brash, glittering and a towering achievement, but upon close inspection her bones are not as fine as might be expected....But the celebration of camp Australia that was fresh and contemporary in 1994 is somewhat passé in 2006, and the rich national flavor that will enchant local auds could limit the production's export potential."
Blogosphere buzz suggests the show is a winner with the audiences who have taken in this
Priscilla. The current production is slated to run through November 26, although I've heard word from sources in Sydney that it may run longer.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Finally! Stage Musical Version of Priscilla - Queen of the Desert to Roll into Sydney (July 5, 2006)
Labels: Australia, Critics' Capsule, Film, Musical, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert
Finally! Stage Musical Version of Priscilla - Queen of the Desert to Roll into SydneyIt's been twelve years since "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" made its fabulous debut. As one of Australia's most beloved -- and successful -- movies, introducing worldwide audiences to Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, it is the latest film to be reincarnated on the stage. Beginning on October 7, theatregoers in Sydney will be able to take in the world premiere of
Priscilla - Queen of the Desert at the Lyric Theatre Star City. Tickets are now on sale.
The
stage musical promises, "sensational live performances of the great songs you loved from the film including 'I Will Survive,' 'Finally' and 'Shake Your Groove Thing.' Experience the beauty of the outback on stage with over 20 full-scale production numbers that will take your breath away."
The Simon Phillips-helmed musical, written by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, will feature Aussie actors Tony Sheldon as Bernadette, Jeremy Stanford as Mitzi and Daniel Scott as Felicia.
Performances are currently scheduled through November 12, 2006, which seems like a mighty short window for anyone to catch this performance. I'll keep you posted of any extensions as well as any transfers.
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Click here for tickets.Labels: Australia, First Word On New Show, Musical, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert
