by David Cohen
With hundreds of fabulous costumes, Priscilla Queen of the Desert is the 2011 Tony Award winner for Best Costume Design. Aside from a plethora of colors, this musical production also features some of the most popular pop songs like It’s Raining Men, I Say A Little Prayer, I Will Survive, What’s Love Got To Do With It, Boogie Wonderland, and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. But beyond the glitz and glamour, Priscilla Queen of the Desert is a story about family, friendship, and acceptance.
Scott Willis as Bernadette, an aging transsexual who tours the backwaters of Australia with her stage partners plays an elegant woman and he is great in it, but his voice doesn't match the elegance of the fame fatal woman he plays, Mitzi (Wade McCollum) was my favorite as the young queen who just want to have fun. Adam/Felicia (Bryant West) was ok, nothing special. Their act, well-known in Sydney, involves wearing lots of makeup and gowns and lip-synching to records, but Bernadette is getting a bit tired of it all and is also haunted by the bizarre death of an old loved one. Nevertheless, when Mitzi and Felicia get an offer to perform in the remote town of Alice Springs at a casino, Bernadette decides to tag along. The threesome ventures into the outback with Priscilla, a lavender-colored school bus that doubles as dressing room and home on the road. Along the way, the act encounters any number of strange characters, as well as incidents of homophobia, while Bernadette becomes increasingly concerned about the path her life has taken.
The movie was the winner of the 1994 Academy Award filmand there is no doubt in my mind that the movie is a lot better then the stage production, but the stage production is still fun and entertaining.
Catch the extraordinary performances of Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Auditorium Theatre at 7:30 PM from Tuesday to Friday. The weekend show times are at 2 PM and 8 PM on Saturdays and at 2 PM and 7:30 PM on Sundays. Through March 31, 2013
For more information visit www.broadwayinchicago.com or www.priscillaontour.com
With hundreds of fabulous costumes, Priscilla Queen of the Desert is the 2011 Tony Award winner for Best Costume Design. Aside from a plethora of colors, this musical production also features some of the most popular pop songs like It’s Raining Men, I Say A Little Prayer, I Will Survive, What’s Love Got To Do With It, Boogie Wonderland, and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. But beyond the glitz and glamour, Priscilla Queen of the Desert is a story about family, friendship, and acceptance.
Scott Willis as Bernadette, an aging transsexual who tours the backwaters of Australia with her stage partners plays an elegant woman and he is great in it, but his voice doesn't match the elegance of the fame fatal woman he plays, Mitzi (Wade McCollum) was my favorite as the young queen who just want to have fun. Adam/Felicia (Bryant West) was ok, nothing special. Their act, well-known in Sydney, involves wearing lots of makeup and gowns and lip-synching to records, but Bernadette is getting a bit tired of it all and is also haunted by the bizarre death of an old loved one. Nevertheless, when Mitzi and Felicia get an offer to perform in the remote town of Alice Springs at a casino, Bernadette decides to tag along. The threesome ventures into the outback with Priscilla, a lavender-colored school bus that doubles as dressing room and home on the road. Along the way, the act encounters any number of strange characters, as well as incidents of homophobia, while Bernadette becomes increasingly concerned about the path her life has taken.
The movie was the winner of the 1994 Academy Award filmand there is no doubt in my mind that the movie is a lot better then the stage production, but the stage production is still fun and entertaining.
Catch the extraordinary performances of Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Auditorium Theatre at 7:30 PM from Tuesday to Friday. The weekend show times are at 2 PM and 8 PM on Saturdays and at 2 PM and 7:30 PM on Sundays. Through March 31, 2013
For more information visit www.broadwayinchicago.com or www.priscillaontour.com