Where there is glamour there has to be glitz, the two go hand in glove, and so it follows that where there is Priscilla, there has to be drag queens. Heywood AODS's latest theatrical offering had it all... the glitz, the glamour, and more drag than you could throw a stick at!! Canal Street beware... you have got fierce competition!
Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert is a musical romp based on the camp Australian film about three drag queens who travel across the outback from Sydney to Alice Springs. The music is juke-box style, and so we have many pop hits from the likes of Kylie Minogue (obviously!), The Weather Girls (It's Raining Men), Tina Turner, and goodness knows how many other 'gay' icons, whilst the story follows the film which takes these three drag artistes as they find love, understanding, and even adulation from the most unlikely of sources. They do however, have to suffer much too, and neither the film not this evening's production shied away from the gritty reality, much to the director's credit.
The voice-over at the start of the show told us what to expect... "drag, disco and drama"... and that is exactly what we got in equal measure throughout. The costumes were fantabulous, outrageous and 'divine'; whilst the lighting design (along with some special effects) created the right moods and gave the show that 12980's disco feel nicely, and the sound levels were optimal throughout, never overpowering, but loud enough to think you were watching a drag act in a dingy mid-Australian dive. The live band - conducted by David Abendstern, sounded lyrical and professional, giving the score the correct feel. The chorus singing was good, and I enjoyed listening to some nice harmonies this evening, whilst the choreography (Jessica McEvoy) was quite simple but cleverly tuned to the abilities of the chorus nicely, and taking the huge costumes into consideration too!
The three main principals, and driving force behind the show, all worked well both individually and as a trio. They seemed to bond with each other more as the show went on, just as it would in real life, and there were some lovely touching moments from them. Nick Angus, no stranger to either drag or Heywood AODS, was Tick, the main with a secret wife and even more secret child tucked away in Alice Springs, and the reason for their trip there. A sensitive portrayal, and his handling of being a gay drag artiste in front of his young son at the end was just lovely. The younger, more impetuous, overtly camp and OTT Felicia was played with enthusiasm and skill by Chris Griffin; and the trio was completed with Darren Fricker's interpretation of aging transvestite Bernadette; again, a sensitive and sensible portrayal.
Aiding and abetting this trio along their journey were several cameo and smaller roles. All were performed with great gusto as they obviously were enjoying their stage time this evening. Special mention should be made of Max Freeman's turn as acerbic drag artiste Miss Understanding and his almost Tiller Girl routine as the Young Bernadette; whilst Keith McEvoy's Bob was sincere and heart felt. Special mention to the plucky youngster Jack Walsh who appears at the end of the show as Tick's son. However, of al the lesser roles in this show it was the three Divas who truly made this a retro disco superbo! Dressed like, as well as moving and singing like The Supremes or similar, Helen Ireland, Tilly Smith and Courtney McLean added the female glamour to a very male dominated show, which had more scantily clad and bare-chested males in it than seen at G.A,Y. Bar in Manchester of a Saturday night! My only real negative criticism with the cast is that the Australian accents were never consistent and some were sadly non-existent; this would have been the cherry on top of the icing, but the icing was never in question!
The "star" of the show though simply has to be Priscilla - the bus. This takes up a huge amount of stage space, but is totally worth it, and the Stage Management team have their work cut out in forever turning it to reveal it's interior, and pulling / pushing it up/down stage as required.
A few very minor tech issues this evening, but it was opening night and so these are easily overlooked. This is a fun, inclusive (even if it is foul-mouthed), and intelligently realised production full of showstopping production numbers and 80's glam!
Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu
on - 20.5.25
No comments:
Post a Comment