Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical

My office had the (dubious) pleasure of attending a preview of the much publicised Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical last Thursday. Friday morning saw a raging debate about the production. Some loved it. Most hated it.

I must say off the bat that i 'enjoyed' the experience. I was caught up in the glamour and glitz of it all, particularly the costuming, and clapping along to the songs. After all the songs are all chosen specifically for their clap-along-ability! But even at the time I couldn't help but question the strength and purpose of the production. About ten minutes after leaving The Regent I began to get that feeling you get after you've scoffed poor quality chocolate. You enjoyed the Nestle at the time, but you start to realise you could have had half as much Haighs and enjoyed it twice as much.

The show is spectacular, but like a well dressed pavlova, there's nothing much to it. I was immediately skeptical when the show opened with a lack lustre version of Downtown, but was reassured when the cast presented a wonderfully black version of Don't Leave Me This Way. This number was subversive and dark and had the production carried on in this intelligent and original manner, this would be a very different post. Unfortunately this was the artistic highlight of the show.

The show descended into dazzle mode, with fantastic effects, impressive props (the bus is VERY impressive, as it should to be for $1 million) and some of the most fabulously elaborate costuming I've seen on stage. And while this was entertaining, the show failed to build any dramatic interest. Despite a stunning performance from Tony Sheldon (Bernice), the interludes between musical numbers failed to pull the audience into the reality of the situation. The moments that should have been intimate and exquisite were as false as the eyelashes on the chorus boys.

Despite the millions of dollars spent on the spectacle, the musical failed to build at all on the original film. It offered no new insights, no revelations - even the jokes were often word for word. It only served to tarnish the elements that made the original so great, over-playing the campness that was so wonderfully understated in the film and glossing over the truly interesting moments - or even worse turning the most shocking moments into poor taste music video clips.

Even accepting that the event relies on spectacle, the show was still slightly disappointing. The dancing was not up to the standard I'd expect of a multimillion dollar production that had been playing for a lengthy season. The dancers were often out of time with each other and the music, and the choreography was, quite frankly, boring. Only the elaborate costumes and the degree of difficulty in moving in them saved the dance numbers. The three Divas, it must be said, were exquisite, with extraordinarily powerful voices, but seeing them swing in and out of the scenes grew old quickly.

The set relies almost exclusively on the bus, which is a clever piece of stage craft, but without the fabulous backdrop of the Australian outback, the grandeur is diminished and caged. In truth, only the costumes truly impressed at every turn.

I'm not claiming that all productions, particularly musicals, should be life-changing experiences, but it seems to me that there should be something behind the sequins, some sort of substance to the show. A little bit of artistic integrity, daring and originality - an original song or two, clever juxtaposition, more heart - and this production could have been more than just the most expensive drag show in the history of the country.

Waiting in the Wings,
Jen