Review: Priscilla Queen of the Desert at Newcastle Theatre Royal
The tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert is proving why this trailblazing story of friendship and acceptance is still relevant today
This popular musical is based on the 1994 Aussie film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and proves to be the perfect feel-good show to bring the long Easter weekend to a close.
It follows three friends (two drag queens and a transgender woman) on a road trip across the Australian Outback to stage the show of a lifetime. The show starts with a high-energy performance which sets the bar for the production. Not usually one for a jukebox musical, I find myself singing along to dancefloor classics including Hot Stuff, It’s Raining Men and Locomotion. The ‘divas’ hit the high notes effortlessly and strut around the stage in sparkling dresses, serving as the soundtrack to the journey.
Priscilla, the battered tour bus taking them on their journey, is manoeuvred around the stage impressively easily considering its size, and the costumes are as exuberant as the vibrant set – which is no surprise when we learn Strictly Come Dancing’s BAFTA award-winning costume designer Vicky Gill and her team are the brains behind more than 100 of the iconic costumes.
Kevin Clifton plays a fabulous Tick/Mitzi and sensitively tackles important issues LGBTQIA+ are still facing today. He has brilliant chemistry with Bernadette played by the fabulous Adèle Anderson. Not all songs are lip-synced, and Kevin is yet another Strictly star proving they’re not just a good dancer, but can also carry a tune. Some may say he’s a triple-threat – his Elvis impersonation is pretty spot on too.
One of my favourite things about theatre is when understudies are given their chance to shine and give a performance their all, and that’s exactly what Fionàn O’Carroll did when he stepped into the heels of Felicia/Adam for this show. They make a fabulous trio representing different shades of drag acts.
Between toe-tapping tunes and dazzling dances, the characters confront prejudice and adversity and discover the beauty of self-expression in this production, and its standing ovation is well deserved.
