By Marie Male
ST. JACOBS- With immense spirit and a warmth that melted the gloom of unrelenting winter, Priscilla Queen of the Desert offers a feast for the senses.
Opening night at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse saw an expectant audience joyfully satiated with laughter and music. The Drayton Entertainment spectacle served up intense talent and profound creativity along with a loving message.
Set in the Australian outback, a trio of performance drag queens embark on a journey between gigs in a funny old van they call Priscilla. Their hopes and adventures en route are illustrated to the beat of some classic disco songs and brilliant choreography.
Seemingly magical sets and fabulous costumes just kept on coming, to the thrill of the audience.
For Bernadette, recently bereaved and getting older, the journey promises a healing change. She is played with a beautiful dignity, as nobody’s fool and of indeterminate gender, by Patrick R. Brown. Her number I Will Survive befit her character and totally engaged the audience.
Billy Lake as Felicia/Adam, who seeks new adventure, plays his roles with youthful defiance and sassy sweet style. Among his many memorable moments include a bold rendition of Hot Stuff and the lip syncing of an opera performed atop Priscilla.
Robbie Towns plays Mitzi/Tick, who is saddened with the abuse he endures at the Cockatoo nightclub in Sydney and hopes to be able to reunite with lost family while continuing his career in Alice Springs.
Towns brings warmth and sincerity that inspires compassion along with hilarity. His comprehensive rendition of MacArthur Park, with cake in hand, caused a sensation. Towns is recognizable as the happy hair stylist in Shear Madness from last season.
Another trio, the singing divas, appeared throughout the show to narrate and clarify in song. All accomplished vocalists, Tiffany Deriveau, Kelly Holiff and Stacey Kay inspired some audience members to dance in the aisles.
When Priscilla breaks down mid-desert, enter Cynthia of a roadside bar, played by Kimberley-Ann Troung. Stereotypical and a most enthusiastic stripper, it was a joy to behold her charismatic performance.
Thomas Winiker, as Benji the 11-year-old boy reunited with his father, commanded the stage with his pure and endearing talent.
JJ Gerber as Miss Understanding set the tone with his impassioned renditions of What’s Love Got to Do With It and I Say a Little Prayer. Gabrielle Jones as Shirley, the mullet sporting mistress of the outback bar, is hilarious.
Director and choreographer David Connolly has executed a unique and flawless theatrical feat with this musical production.
Among myriad breathtaking moments is a chase scene in which Felicia runs from the haters, all of them in slow motion. Male ensemble dancers lift and spin each other. Cakes and paintbrushes dance in harmony.
Music Director Jeannie Wyse led a lively five-piece band that didn’t miss a beat.
From Priscilla itself, with a giant stiletto shoe on the van’s roof, to costumes that astonish with colour, grandiosity, glitter and adaptability, the spectacle was as dizzying as the costume changes.
With its original on-stage debut in Sydney, the show premiered on Broadway in 2011. The musical version is based on the 1994 film from a book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott.
Priscilla Queen of the Desert speaks to the triumph of spirit for an often-victimized sector of humanity. In doing so it is often funny with ribald content.
The snow started again as jovial crowds left the theatre, though the warmth lingered on. We are fortunate to live in an area where world class performances like this are so accessible.
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert runs until April 7. Tickets may be purchased in person at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse, online at www.draytonentertainment.com/priscilla or by calling the box office at 519-747-7788 or toll free at 1-855-drayton (372-9866).
