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Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Musical
Regent Theatre
191 Collins Street
This stage version of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert follows the
film faithfully and - surprisingly, for a popular musical - includes
most of its coarse humour: even the notorious ping-pong ball episode.
Scenes
are abbreviated, like the Broken Hill episode, or adapted, like the
Koori encounter, to allow a musical sequence. The pop soundtrack is
retained and expanded, so that every scene features a song routine, and
often, elaborate costumes changes. While most musicals use songs to
advance the story, in Priscilla this is not the case; it’s essentially
a play with (admittedly spectacular) musical interruptions chosen to
wow rather than expanding upon the dramatic situation. For example, the
unlikely romance between transsexual Bernadette (Tony Sheldon) and
country mechanic Bob (Michael Caton) could have done with a duet
presenting the attraction developing between the pair. Instead it was
played as per the film, and followed by another drag extravaganza
featuring whirling cakes.
Dramatic tension was never strong in the film, which becomes more
problematic on stage. The first act ends flatly, with the trio halfway
to Alice Springs. Only once is there any really dramatic musical story
telling; in the Coober Pedy scene, where the frocked up Adam is
assaulted by roughneck locals. Even though it looks strangely
like the rape scene from West Side Story, with Men from Snowy River and
a drag queen replacing the New York gang and Puerto Rican girl, it
injected some badly needed drama into the show.
Jeremy Stanford and Daniel Scott play Tick and Adam as closely to Hugo
Weaving and Guy Pierce as possible; whereas in Sheldon’s hands, flinty
old dowager Bernadette became a pantomime dame.
However, the look of the show is incredible. Brian Thompson’s array of
sets, especially the life-sized bus is superb. Nick Schlieper’s
masterful lighting makes the road scenes glow with an intense outback
red, and Tim and Lizzy Gardiner recreate their costumes and invent more
on the same grand scale.
Musicals may no longer be as wholesome as they were in Rogers and Hammerstein’s day but the coarse language and humour of Priscilla make this an enjoyable paradox of a musical.
Bookings through Ticketek 1300 555 593 or www.priscillathemusical.com
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