5 Disco Balls for Priscilla Queen of the Desert!

It is the gayest thing I have ever seen! Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical is a stunningly over the top, gay musical that hits all the right notes, and glitters in all the right places. The transition from screen to stage is exceedingly well done, with the elimination of material that is dated or too awkward to fit the stage, and with the inclusion of new scenes and songs that surpasses the film in some respects. Then there is the bus. Holy moly, the bus! Yes, it is pink--very PINK, and a multitude of colours that are as bashful as a jacket by Liberace. After all, she is the Queen of the Desert, and what queen, gay or otherwise, isn't sometimes bedecked in all her bejewelled splendor?

Drag queens, Tick/Mitzie, Adam/Felicia and Bernadette (don't call her Ralph!) trek across the Australian dessert (from Sydney to Alice Springs) with humour, feathers, arguments pizazz, and, ahem, a few road kills. Joining them along the way is Bob, the mechanic who lubricates Priscilla and romances Bernadette, his nostalgic favourite from her days as a member "Les Girls".

Of course, where there are drag queens, there must be costumes, right? Well, lucky for us the memorable costumes from the film's Oscar®-winning designers Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner (remember her American Express dress from Oscar night?) are included in the stage version, as are a plethora of eye-popping, to die for regalia. Even the funeral scene (Bernadette's off-stage boyfriend, Trumpet, dies at the very beginning of the play) is a cavalcade of corsetry and lace. Hello! to my man en pointe in the short black number! Fabulous legs, darlin'! André Leon Talley would have been proud.

Olivier Award nominee, Tony Sheldon steals the show as Bernadette, and Tony Award nominee Will Swenson does an excellent job as Tick, the straight man (forgive the pun) to the other two's schtick, and Nick Adams (Felicia) is just all out sex on platforms. Question: is it wrong that I found him sexy in his pink mini? Go see it and tell me if you didn't feel the same. The man is hot. Worthy of being studied in Anotomy class!

Catch this musical now while it's in Toronto or you will have to skip south of the border to see the same cast on Broadway! Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical, runs until January 2, 2011 at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

On a budget? Student pricing is available (see website for info) and if you are not a student, grab the cheapest seats you can and have a ball. Best to go with friends because this musical experience is even better when shared! Come on, there are Divas singing disco from mid-air!

http://www.mirvish.com/
Recommended for ages 14+