On Thursday night I went with Owen to see the latest addition to the dvd shelf that the West End theatre is becoming - PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT: THE MUSICAL (like it would be anything else).
If you are going to plop a known film onto a stage then you have to make it at least theatrical, and PRISCILLA is certainly that... indeed it never stops thrusting it's theatricality at you! Within seconds of opening, a less-Greek, more-Studio 54 chorus descend from the flies to belt out DOWNTOWN, for no better reason than to give you the idea that the show opens in a city.

The touring bus Priscilla appears to much applause and rotates the stage slowly to a continued round of boffo mit-pounding (as Variety was wont to say). However what it very soon reminded me of was the huge ship in MUTINY! at the Piccadilly which although initially magnificent when first viewed ultimately did nothing than go up and down and round and round! As my dear close personal friend Miss Nicola Blackman who appeared in the show said "It's all very impressive but does it make the tea?" No it didn't and neither did the bus.
I have a major problem with the whole deal in that I have never really liked the film. I loved Terence Stamp's touching performance as the trans-sexual Bernadette and the film's soundtrack is a continued delight but the film's sheer ugliness - the camera forever too close to gurning, over-made up, sweaty faces - put it in the same box as MURIEL'S WEDDING, MOULIN ROUGE and STRICTLY BALLROOM, Australian films that have a fascination in over-acting 'baddies', overdoing the ugliness. The script also has no place for women - they are either a bland cypher as in the hero's former wife or a misogynist's dream of ugly, crass harpies.
Not much has been added to the stage adaptation apart from a random selection of mostly disco classics which are forced into the storyline to make the show move along - apropos DOWNTOWN - as a sort of lazy shorthand. For absolutely no reason the wife sings BOOGIE WONDERLAND towards the end for no other reason than to give her and the punters of her casino a song - what... I'M EVERY WOMAN wasn't available? Not that the audience seemed to mind, from the opening chords they happily clapped along with anything, like the most enthusiastic ice-skating audience.
The main problem I had with the show was that despite various attempts to get the tearducts working overtime, the one thing the creator's forgot to throw into the mix was some genuine warmth. There is no humanity in the show, just a synthetic feel-good factor. You only have to compare the show with LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at the Playhouse - which contains as many obvious 'bum' gags - but which also takes the time to let you understand the characters and feel a genuine sympathy for them. But then it also has the added bonus of a score that is written with those characters in mind. Maybe if the PRISCILLA team had bothered to write some original songs rather than hitting the disco playlist on their collective ipods...

I also had a problem with the production which is pitched more for the Wembley Arena than the Palace. I must admit - the moment where Adam is projected out into the auditorium on the big slingback on the top of the bus miming to SEMPRE LIBERA from "La Traviata" is wonderful.
The performances are all average to good - Jason Donovan while missing out on any of the depth Hugo Weaving could bring to the character of 'Tick' was agreeable enough and Oliver Thornton as 'Adam' was okay - I just hate the character.

It is a measure of how good a musical actor he is that Clive Carter managed to convey the heart of the lovelorn outback handyman "Bob" despite a wandering accent and there was a nice supporting turn from Kanako Nakano - how's that for a name - as Cynthia, Bob's bored Vietnamese wife with the eye-popping bar-room act. Zoe Birkett shows there is life in X Factor's alumni as the lead omnipresent floating diva and the supporting company give off enough busy energy.

The star bow is for Tony Sheldon who, despite playing the role of 'Bernadette' for two and 1/2 years since it's original Australian premiere, still manages to give the best and freshest performance.

It is a peach of a part with all the best lines and although Sheldon does nothing to disturb memories of Terence Stamp in the role, he still siezes his opportunities to steal the show.

The show is also worth seeing for the outrageous costumes from Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner recreating their originals from the film and adding to them with the over-the-top production numbers.

So there you go... I have spent worse nights in the theatre. LES MISERABLES at the same theatre for one... oh, that was an afternoon matinee but you get my drift.