My arm was getting sore from all the punches and scratches.
I was a few rows back from the front of the stage for the opening night performance of “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical,” and I was sitting next to someone who was very invested in the costumes. And I mean invested. When actors appeared onstage sporting over-the-top cupcake getups, dangerously tall headdresses and sparkly cheerleader outfits, she’d squeak with delight, punch my shoulder or scratch my forearm.
It made sense — my friend is in the burlesque biz, and all of the glitzy wardrobe in “Priscilla” was a page direct from the glamor of her own stagecraft. Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner’s impressive costume design is a major draw for many in the audience.
That element is a big part of the show, which follows the journey of two drag queens and a transsexual as they make their way through the wilds of the Australian Outback. The trio is headed to an important gig at a casino in Alice Springs, a performance that carries emotional significance for Tick aka “Mitzi” (played by Wade McCollum).
Traveling in an old tour bus dubbed Priscilla and turned glamorous with pink paint and glitter, the trio confront heartache, breakdowns and homophobia en route to Alice Springs. Along the way, they break into plenty of familiar pop tunes, putting distinctive spins on well-known staples from the disco era and from Madonna’s early catalogue. This is where the costumery excels, as Mitzi, Bernadette (Scott Willis) and Felicia aka Adam (Bryan West) offer all of the complex stagecraft of a well-honed drag show.
Not surprisingly, those moments are where this production shines the brightest. Stephan Elliott (who wrote the original film) worked hard with fellow scribe Allan Scott to inject this high-energy musical with a good dose of touching human drama to balance all of the musical routines, costumes and disco numbers. Ostensibly, the heart of the plot here is acceptance. Mitzi travels across Australia to meet his young son for the first time — he’s scared about being rejected for his lifestyle and for his profession. His traveling companions, the older transsexual Bernadette and the wild young drag queen Felicia, face similar quandaries of self-acceptance and fitting in.
But those undertones that played out so well in the film feel subordinate to the bombastic parts of this show. The subplots and human interactions are hurried in between dance numbers, elaborate routines that steal the stage through both acts. The first performance of “It’s Raining Men,” features three backup “diva” singers descending from the ceiling. The trio’s final performance in the Alice Springs casino is an impressive piece of stagecraft, a montage that literally features dozens of tunes and costumes. In between, director Simon Philips leads the cast through some unforgettable song, dance, wardrobe and stagecraft.
Those routines include enough glitz and glamor to make any burlesque fan go nuts. But the drama of the piece gets lost in the shuffle of the glitter and the taffeta. For example, a romantic subplot between Bernadette, an aging performer fresh off the death of her partner, and Bob (Joe Hart), a kindly mechanic from the Australian backwoods, fails to carry any convincing emotional weight.
But such failings may very well take a backseat for the faithful fans of the film. All of the major plot points are here, and that’s enough to keep the showcase of dance tunes and glitzy costumes rolling. Those taken with the pure theater of the drag world will have plenty to revel in here, as evidenced by the bruises on my arm that stuck around for days after the closing number.
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com or 720-449-9707
“Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical”
Runs through Sept. 15, Buell Theatre at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, 950 13th St., Denver. Tickets start at $20. Information: 303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org.
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