Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Flamboyant, fabulous fun
Inthe
THE glam, sassy hit adult musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert opens tomorrow night and runs until April 23 in the Artscape Opera House.
Based on the Oscar-winning hit film of the same name, the narrative tracks the journey of two drag queens and a transgender woman who go on an epic road trip from Sydney to the Australian Outback.
They travel in a bus, called Priscilla, the titular Queen of the Desert. Beyond its wry commentary on issues such as gender, family and relationships Priscilla is a feel-good, upbeat musical with a potent playlist which features 1970s and 1980s classic disco hits such as I Will Survive and I Love The Nightlife. We are seeing the international production which started off in Australia and has since toured widely.
The cast of 28 is South African. David Dennis, Daniel Buys, Phillip Schnetler and James Borthwick play the principal roles.
The cast has been brought up to speed by an Australian creative team which has worked with a South African team including resident director Anton Luitingh, resident choreographer Duane Alexander and resident musical director, Bryan Schimmel.
Luitingh explains: “The original production was from Australia, but has been performed all over the world, most notably, Broadway, the West End, Spain and Korea. Most recently it was performed in New Zealand, so we have a mixture of set elements, costumes, wigs and props, but also from the Broadway and West End productions.”
It is a story layered around identity, belonging, relationships and family. Luitingh says: “Priscilla is essentially a celebration of diversity wrapped up in an extravagant onstage party. The production is flamboyant, bold, brash, lush, fabulous and perfectly suited to a rainbow nation like ours.
“Inevitably, a show about drag queens, transsexuals and mirror balls may be considered risqué, but for those looking for something deeper, Priscilla is in essence a show about family – a gay father reuniting with his son, a man falling in love with a woman who happens to be a transsexual and three central characters – friends who may not be brothers by blood, but who have a strong family bond.”
Beyond the layers of meaning, “it’s the most fun you can have in the theatre.This is the ultimate feel-good show and it has a lot to do with the music. Our audiences love to have a good time; to sing along to songs they know well and to ultimately end off dancing at the end of the show…
“You will also shed a tear though or at the very least have a lump in your throat. It’s not every day you see a show whose pivotal character is a large silver bus (yes, Priscilla is a bus), add to this, flying pop divas with knock-out voices, Oscar- winning costume designs and you have a show that is nothing short of spectacular.”
Two weeks ago, I bumped into a bunch of the Priscilla performers at Gate 69 in Bree Street, watching Cathy and the Trolley Dollies – a delicious drag show with big wigs, big heels – headed by Cathy Specific (aka Fleur du Cap winner Brendan van Rhyn).
The cast was at Gate 69, for “research”, quipped Candice van Litsenborgh who plays Shirley – a waitress in Priscilla.
She reflects: “Shirley is one of the characters that the three queens meet on their journey through the Outback. She’s the least glamorous character. I’m not sure if she would know what tweezers or soap were, which means I really get to rough it up vocally and physically. I think that you only build an exterior that tough if there’s a lot you want to hide. She’s strangely vulnerable underneath her vulgarity.
“Everything about this show pushes you out of your comfort zone as a performer. It is super high energy and stays with audiences because it hits every mark. It’s skillful, beautiful, extravagant, nostalgic and hysterical. You fall in love with these characters.”
After the season at Artscape, Priscilla will be in Joburg at Montecasino’s Teatro from Saturday, April 29 to June 18 and then the company will tour Asia.
Tickets are R150-R500. PG 12 Book at Computicket. See Jellybean Journal for interviews with the three young boys who alternate the role of Benji the son of drag queen, Tick played by Daniel Buys.