Plenty to enjoy in this production

Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical

By Napier Operatic at Tabard Theatre

Dir by David Adkins. Oct 21 2023

We were lucky enough to enjoy a dinner and show package for this performance. An excellent two course meal with other musical theatre fans and then into the theatre space to watch the show. It was a really relaxing start and a great way to make a few new friends.

Priscilla is based on the movie of the same name telling the story of three drag queens who get on a bus and travel from Sydney to Alice Springs. It is chock full of musical favourites and is one of the best jukebox musicals I know. The story is strong and will appeal to most generations, though it has some strong language so would advise caution for children.

I found this production to be of a high standard including the large cast and the technical aspects.

Special mention needs to be made of the costumes. There was an eye popping number, all of which were of a very high standard. So colourful. Absolutely wonderful.

Sound and lighting did not disappoint. Nice and clear sound with only a couple of minor glitches together with a solid lighting plan.

The set was reasonable, however I found some of the pieces were on wheels that did not seem to lock and it looked quite precarious for some of the cast using them.

The bus is the showpiece and it was really well made. I can imagine the huge amount of work that went into it and it was well worth the effort.

I enjoyed the direction. Scenes flowed well and transitions were well handled. The cast seemed to really enjoy performing together and that makes a show all that much stronger. The final montage with the three performing in numerous costumes was brilliantly executed.

The three leads Bernadette, Tick and Felicia were all strong, though Michael Sharp was stunning as Bernadette, with excellent delivery and a lovely voice. One of scenes between her and Bob (a mechanic who helps them out repairing the bus) was very touching and heartfelt.

I thoroughly enjoyed this production, which has a week to run, but is now fully sold out. It was an absolute crowd pleaser and I left humming some of the songs afterwards.