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Show: Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Society: Epsom Players
Venue: Epsom Playhouse
Credits: Book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott. Based on the Latent Image/Specific Films Motion Picture. Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Type: Sardines
Performance Date: 24/10/2017
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Jess Pether | 25 Oct 2017 16:36pm
Watching Epsom Players perform Priscilla Queen of the Desert has solidly confirmed two things for me: 1) I definitely want to do this show and 2) I want to be a drag queen when I grow up.
Being a fan of the film and also having seen the production in the West End, I knew what to expect from the show but wasn’t sure how an amateur group would pull it off. After all, it needs three strong male leads who are comfortable dressed as women, two of them who spend most of the time in four inch heels, huge wigs and all manner of incredible costumes and headdresses. It also needs a chorus who are game for a laugh and not too self-conscious, and of course, the star of our show, Priscilla, a.k.a. a giant bus.
The night began badly when I realised I’d forgotten a pen and notepad; not the best start for a reviewer. But staff at the theatre couldn’t have been more helpful (even if they were laughing at me at the same time and asking that they get a mention in the review…); I’m just glad it wasn’t them reviewing me!
Priscilla is, above all, a feel good musical. Packed with famous pop and disco songs such as Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Boogie Wonderland, it follows two drag queens, Mitzi (otherwise known as Tick) and Felicia (also known as Adam), and one transsexual woman, Bernadette, as they drive across Australia from Sydney to Alice Springs. Tick has a wife at their destination who owns a casino and needs an act to perform there for a few weeks. It’s also revealed that the pair have an eight year old son who Tick’s never met, but he keeps this a secret from his two travelling companions. Along the way, the trio make a few stops (mostly because their van breaks down) and meet some interesting characters.
As is the case with many an opening night, this was a production that was a little rough around the edges. There were a few hiccups, such as a large stretch of silent black stage between two scenes, but nothing too drastic. The opening number of It’s Raining Men is set in The Cockatoo Club and Tommy Deeks, who played the MC Miss Understanding, was confident and very funny. He set a good tone for the show and looked completely comfortable in his role (and sky high heels!). However, most of the rainbow suited men who joined him on stage for the number looked, if anything, just plain terrified. It was a little uncomfortable to watch… however, I would like to say that many of the things the chorus had to do in this show took a huge amount of guts, and I mainly just thought “Good for you guys!”
Of the three leads, I most enjoyed watching Sebastian Roughley as Adam. The smallest and most girly character of the three, he pretty much had the role of Felicia down to a T. His Australian accent was strong, even when singing, and he’d added a few clear characteristics to the part. Billy Harvey as Tick was also strong with a lovely singing voice and he is clearly a fantastic dancer. He played out the storyline of being an absent father well and the scene in which he sits on his son’s bed to read him a story, but ends up asking “You do know what I am don’t you?”, was very moving, especially the lovely duet they sang. Of the two kids playing the part of son Benji, we saw Alfie Turnbull and he was brilliant. Super cute, he did really well singing against his on-stage dad (they sang two completely different songs as the same time, which is never easy).
The part of transsexual Bernadette is a very tough one to get right. An older, more sophisticated character, she has a wise head on her shoulders and a long line of husbands behind her. Although Jean-Pierre Aguis, who played the part, struggled at times with some of the singing, his acting was great, as was his characterisation. Bernadette falls for a mechanic called Bob (played by James Turbull, who was also great to watch) and a scene in which they fall asleep in the outback on a picnic blanket did actually make me believe I was watching a man and a woman fall in love.
However, it was the many and varied chorus numbers that really brought the show to life. Dressed as anything from a paint brush to a cupcake, as the show warmed up, the cast looked like they were having an absolute whale of a time. Go West was absolutely hilarious and getting some of the audience up to line dance in Thank God I’m a Country Boy (then leaving them on the stage unawares!) just added to the fun of the whole show. The chorus, although filled with a broad spectrum of abilities, should be proud with how much they made the audience cheer, clap and laugh in all their numbers.
Special mentions must go to the diva trio of Melissa Cox, Katy Jackson and Victoria Swain. They appear at regular intervals to sing some real corkers (such as I Will Survive) and their voices were superb; their three part harmony sounded fantastic. I just would’ve liked to see a few more costume changes for them as I felt like they were left out of the fun with just three for the whole show! The second special mention goes to Jennie Morrison as Cynthia. Playing Bob’s Thai bride, she entertains the crown with an interesting and intimate ping pong trick… I’ll leave the rest up to your imagination but suffice to say, it was utterly hilarious and she really didn’t hold back!
Epsom is quite a trek for me, coming from Essex, but it was so worth the journey. Although by no means perfect, this show sent the whole audience away smiling from ear to ear (and this reviewer wishing I had just about every single costume in my wardrobe).
- : admin
- : 24/10/2017