Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical

SYNOPSIS

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Straight from Sydney, Australia to the West End, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” is a rollercoaster journey where emotions run wild and spirits run high. Based on the movie “The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert” it features Jason Donovan in the lead role opposite a cast that includes Tony Sheldon and Oliver Thornton. For fans of big musicals and outrageous costumes, they should look no further than the Palace Theatre’s “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”.

The musical adaptation of the Australian movie first opened its doors at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney in 2006, with Tony Sheldon amongst the cast, and continued until the following year before it was revived in 2008 for another successful run. It was a show fit for the West End and this dream was realised in 2009 when previews began back in March at the Palace Theatre. It has been a huge success on this side of the globe, particularly with Theatreland star Jason Donovan in the role if Tick, still a firm musical favourite following his iconic appearance in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”.

But what exactly is Priscilla? Far from being a human star, Priscilla is the name of the tatty old bus that takes the performance trio of drag queen Tick (Donovan), Bernadette (Sheldon) and Adam (Oliver Thornton) across the Australian outback to a Casino in Alice Springs to put on a show with a difference. It is a compelling adventure featuring many heartfelt and moving moments as the team heads away from their comfort zone in Sydney and off into the unknown. But being a musical, the show also features some catchy disco songs that propel the story towards its exciting conclusion, including “I Love The Nightlife”, “I Will Survive”, “Don’t Leave Me This Way”, “Colour My World” and “Shake Your Groove Thing”.

Featuring outrageous costumes (500 in total), an array of wigs (more than 100!) and some stellar performances, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” is a show like no other that stands out, even in the musical capital of the West End.

The star of the show Jason Donovan is a big name here and in Australia, having started out his career as Scott Robinson in the hit soap “Neighbours” alongside Kylie Minogue. The pair would later release a single together in the form of “Especially For You”, which was the fourth highest grossing single of 1989. By 1992 he was stepping into a role that cemented him as a musical star – that of Joseph in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, a character that continues to be tied to him even after countless others have appeared in the role. His other credits include the ITV show “Echo Beach”, “I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!” and a touring production of “The Rocky Horror Show”.

This is Donovan in his most lavish role yet and does great justice to the movie of 1994 movie, making it a great show to catch when you visit London’s West End.

“Priscilla Queen of the Desert” is at the Palace Theatre in London where it is running strong and continuing to take bookings until 2010.

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