Review: Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Does a piece of theatre need to be good in order to be highly entertaining?

If we are talking about Priscilla, then the answer is most likely no.

I saw Priscilla when it first opened at he Lyric Theatre in Sydney in 2006. I also vowed never to go back and see it again. I was, suffice it to say, not impressed with the way they took a classic, nuanced Australian film and turned it into an OTT, high camp jukebox musical. Ok, so it kind of made sense due to pay homage to the subject matter, and it featured some of the best and biggest costumes you’re likely to see outside of the Moulin Rouge. But it isn’t a good musical…

I managed to get some tickets to Priscilla in London due to a Twitter competition (that still runs if you’re interested), that I entered in a ‘why not’ frame of mind. What I didn’t expect is to exit the theatre last night with a very large grin on my face having had a very good night at the theatre.

Come to think of it, I think the same happened in Sydney.

The problem is that I automatically judge this show in comparison to my favourite musicals. Usually, I tend to go for heavier, darker shows with amazing books and scores. Also, I compared Priscilla to the movie, which the show doesn’t attempt to recreate, rather seems to pay homage to.

So… The songs are a pastiche of awful drag standards, sometimes painfully arranged and often without any good reason to exist. The book is a slapped together montage of the funny lines from the movie, and definitely won’t be winning a pullitzer anytime soon. The cast were passable (with the exception of Oliver Thornton as Adam/Felicia who was FABULOUS), the accents horrible and the sets so glitzy they hurt your eyes.

It’s also possibly one of the most enjoyable shows you will ever see.

I don’t believe you can see this show without enjoying the ridiculous excess and camp chic. This mostly succeeds because the show knows how bad it is, and seems to then do it with more gusto. It also doesn’t hurt that it is done with tongue firmly planted in cheek. The performances are all completely overblown. Every character is an absurd caricature of their counterpart in the movie and it seems the direction given was somewhere along the lines of ‘if you can get a cheap laugh, go for it’. Some memorable examples include bouncy, sagging breasts on the bogan (Australian’s equivalent of Chavs), assless dresses, and a ‘why oh why did they spend so much money on a bad joke’ rendition of Macarthur Park (yes, someone left a cake out in the rain). However, these all make the show slightly more enjoyable as opposed to detracting from the overall quality. While the cast weren’t particularly good, I think this was more to do with the style of the show, as opposed to actual talent. I’ve seen a few of the performers in other things and they have been much, much better.

Gareth James said it best: “The closest match is Mamma Mia and that can’t be bad. Go for spectacle and laughs and you’ll certainly get them”

Oh, and Shane from Neighbours is in it. Win.

Priscilla is playing at the Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Theatre in London.