| Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | |
|---|---|
| The Musical | |
| Music | Various |
| Lyrics | Various |
| Book | Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott |
| Basis | Stephan Elliott's 1994 motion picture The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert |
| Productions | 2006 Sydney 2007 Melbourne 2008 Auckland 2008 Sydney (return) 2009 London 2010 Toronto 2011 Broadway 2012 Milan |
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a musical with a book by Australian film director-writer Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, using well-known pop songs as its score. Adapted from Elliott's 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the musical tells the story of two drag queens and a transexual, who contract to perform a drag show at a resort in Alice Springs, a resort town in the remote Australian desert. As they head west from Sydney aboard their lavender bus, Priscilla, the three friends come to the forefront of a comedy of errors, encountering a number of strange characters, as well as incidents of homophobia, while widening comfort zones and finding new horizons.
Produced by Allan Scott in coalition with Back Row Productions, Michael Chugg, Michael Hamlyn and John Frost, the Simon Phillips-directed and Ross Coleman-choreographed original production of Priscilla debuted in Australia at the Lyric Theatre, Sydney in October 2006. Having had a successful run in Sydney, the production transferred to Melbourne in 2007 and then New Zealand in 2008, before returning to Sydney for a limited engagement for its second anniversary. The Australian success of Priscilla provoked a two year strong West End production in addition to its Bette Midler-produced Broadway debut in 2011. While the original production received one out of its seven Helpmann Award nominations, Priscilla has since accrued a Laurence Olivier Award, a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award internationally, having been nominated in several sections.
Contents |
The drag queen Mitzi Mitosis (real name: Anthony "Tick" Belrose), has a job lined up in distant Alice Springs, Australia. He convinces his friends, who are also performers, to join him. The journey to Alice Springs in a large tour bus, called "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", begins. Tick is joined by the transsexual woman Bernadette Bassenger, and the showy drag queen Felicia Jollygoodfellow (real name: Adam Whitely).
| Original casts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Character | Australia & New Zealand (Sydney - first run, Melbourne, Auckland) |
London | Toronto / Broadway |
| Tick (Mitzi) | Jeremy Stanford | Jason Donovan | Will Swenson |
| Bernadette | Tony Sheldon | ||
| Adam (Felicia) | Daniel Scott | Oliver Thornton | Nick Adams |
| Bob | Michael Caton | Clive Carter | C. David Johnson |
| The Divas | Danielle Barnes, Sophie Carter, Amelia Cormack | Zoe Birkett,Kate Gillespie , Emma Lindars | Jacqueline Arnold, Anastacia McCleskey, Ashley Spencer |
| Marion* | Marney McQueen | Amy Field, Yvette Robinson | Jessica Phillips |
| Shirley | Genevieve Lemon | Daniele Coombe | Keala Settle |
| Cynthia | Lena Cruz | Kanako Nakano | J. Elaine Marcos |
| Miss Understanding | Trevor Ashley | Wesley Sebastian | Nathan Lee Graham |
| Jimmy | Kirk Page | Tristan Temple | James Brown III |
| Frank | Ben Lewis | John Brannoch | Mike McGowan |
| Young Bernadette | Damien Ross | Steven Cleverley | Steve Schepis |
| Benjamin** | Joshua Arkey, Alec Epsimos, Rowan Scott, Joel Slater | Gene Goodman, Red Walker, Cameron Sayers, | Trek Buccino (Toronto), Luke Mannikus, Ashton Woerz |
*In the London production, the role of Marion was played by Yvette Robinson whilst Amy Field was on maternity leave (1 December 2009 – 25 September 2010).
**In every production, the role of Benjamin is played by more than one actor, each alternating at certain performances, due to their young age.
The musical opened on Broadway on 20 March 2011 at the Palace Theatre with previews beginning 28 February 2011.[1] Priscilla, however, made its North American debut at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto for a limited 12-week pre-Broadway tryout; the last performance was on 2 January 2011.
The original Broadway cast includes Will Swenson as Tick (Mitzi), Tony Sheldon, again, reprising his role of Bernadette, and Nick Adams as Adam (Felicia).[2] Choreography is by Ross Coleman, set design by Brian Thomson, lighting design by Nick Schlieper and costume designs by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner.[1] Producers include Bette Midler, who joined the production team after seeing the London production;[3] Liz Koops and Garry McQuinn for Back Row Productions; Michael Hamlyn for Specific Films; Allan Scott Productions; David Mirvish; Roy Furman; Terry Allen Kramer; James L. Nederlander; and Terri and Timothy Childs.[1]
The Broadway cast album was recorded in late January 2011 on Rhino Records for release on 15 March 2011.[4] The production released video footage from their North American premiere on Tuesday, 15 February.[5]
On 29 April 2011 it was announced that a tour would begin Fall 2012. Cites and cast are still to be announced.[6]
The Brazilian production is scheduled to premiere in March 2012 at the Teatro Bradesco, São Paulo. The cast is: Bernadette (Ruben Gabira), Tick/Mitzi (Luciano Andrey), Adam/Felicia (André Torquato), Divas (Simone Gutierrez, Priscilla Borges and Livia Graciano), Shirley (Andrezza Massei) and Bob (Saulo Vasconcelos). Will be produced by GEO Produções Artísticas.
A West End production started previews on 10 March 2009 at the Palace Theatre with the opening press night on 23 March. It is co-produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group and directed by Simon Phillips with musical arrangements by Stephen 'Spud' Murphy, choreography by Ross Coleman, costume designs by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, production designs by Brian Thomson, and lighting by Nick Schlieper.[7] The original cast included Jason Donovan as Mitzi (aka "Tick"), Tony Sheldon as Bernadette, and Oliver Thornton as Adam (Felicia).[7][8] Notable replacements include Ben Richards as Tick (Mitzi), Don Gallagher as Bernadette and Ray Meagher as Bob. The London production closed on 31 December 2011.[9]
Priscilla Queen of the Desert premiered on 7 October 2006 at the Lyric Theatre, Star City Casino, Sydney, Australia and ended its run on 2 September 2007.[10] Directed by Melbourne Theatre Company artistic director Simon Phillips, it starred Tony Sheldon as Bernadette, Jeremy Stanford as Tick (Mitzi) and Daniel Scott as Adam (Felicia) with Michael Caton as Bob.
The Sydney production transferred to the Regent Theatre in Melbourne, beginning previews on 28 September 2007 before opening on 6 October 2007. The show closed on 27 April 2008 to make way for the Australian premiere of Wicked.[11]
The Melbourne production transferred to Auckland in New Zealand for a limited run, opening on 28 May 2008 and closed on 6 July 2008.
The musical returned to the Star City Hotel and Casino in Sydney on 7 October 2008 for the second anniversary of the show's premiere and closed on 21 December 2008. The show starred original cast members Sheldon and Scott, alongside Todd McKenney as Tick and Bill Hunter as Bob.[12]
The musical opened on 12 October 2010 at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto as a Pre-Broadway tryout. The musical featured all the of the Broadway cast with a new production team. The musical played for 12 weeks, closing on 2 January 2011. Several modifications were made to the production.
|
Act I
|
Act II
|
|
Act I
|
Act II
|
A cast recording of the original Australian production was released on 29 September 2007;[13] both in stores and on the Australian iTunes. All songs, with the exception of the reprise of "Go West", from the original Australian production are present on the recording and are performed by the original Australian cast. A Broadway cast recording was released on 5 April 2011.
In reviewing the West End production, the London Evening Standard (thisislondon) reviewer wrote: "From the first moments when three divas hang suspended high above a silver-spangled bridge and belt out Downtown, the show never loses its spectacular, helter-skelter momentum of songs to which the drag queens lip-sync."[14]
Reviews for the Toronto production include praise for the costumes from the Globe and Mail: "The costumes designed by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, the same team that won an Oscar for the movie, are a fabulous mix of Village People meet Tim Burton culminating in, at the curtain call, a whole crass menagerie of dragged-up koalas and 'roos." The Star favorably wrote: "This eye-popping, ear-pleasing, toe-tapping honey of a show moves like a cyclone from start to finish and will leave you gasping for breath on numerous occasions, thanks to its spectacular spectacle, its raunchy humour and its virtuoso performances."[15]
Use of a recorded string section in the Broadway production of Priscilla led to a dispute between producers and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). The AFM argues that using recordings in place of live music is a marginal cost-saving measure which cheats audiences of the full, rich sound of a live orchestra. Producers argued that the artistic conception of the show requires a “synthetic pop flavor” that can only be achieved with recorded music. AFM member Scott Frankel, who composed the music for Grey Gardens, stated: "What is most special about seeing a Broadway musical, rather than some other art form, is the interaction between the orchestra musicians and the performers onstage". The dispute is currently awaiting arbitration.[16]
The Sydney production won the 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Production Of A Musical and Judith Johnson Award For Best Performance By An Actor In A Musical - Tony Sheldon.[17]
The West End production of Priscilla received three nominations at the 2010 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (Tony Sheldon) and Best Costume Design (Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner). Chappel and Gardiner won the award for Best Costume Design.[18] It also received seven nominations at the 2010 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards and went on to win four awards there: Best New Musical, Best Supporting Actor in a Musical (Oliver Thornton), Best Set Designer (Brian Thomson) and Best Choreographer (Ross Coleman). The West End production was nominated for a further eight awards at the BroadwayWorld.com UK Awards and won two: Best Costume Design (Chappel and Gardiner) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Thornton).
The Broadway production received four Outer Critics Circle Award nominations: Outstanding New Musical, Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Tony Sheldon), Outstanding Costume Design (Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner), and Outstanding Choreographer (Ross Coleman).[19] Chappel and Gardiner won the award for Outstanding Costume Design.[20] The musical also received four Drama Desk Awards nominations: Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Tony Sheldon), Outstanding Book of a Musical (Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott), Outstanding Costume Design (Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner).[21] Chappel and Gardiner once again won the award for Outstanding Costume Design.[22]
On 3 May 2011 the musical received two Tony Award nominations: Best Actor in a Musical (Tony Sheldon) and Best Costume Design (Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner), winning for costume design.[23]