If you’ve not seen the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, you should. It’s a delightful romp through the Australian Outback, led by three improbable drag queens (two, actually, and one transsexual); it’s a movie which, underneath its surface, deals with such themes as the trials of being different, cross-cultural bonding, being gay--and family values. Priscilla is the bus this trio uses to drive into the heart of Australia--a pink bus (I won’t explain how it became pink as I don’t want to spoil the fun). And in 2009, after runs in Australia and then New Zealand, the musical based on the movie opened in London; in 2011 it opened in New York; and two weeks ago it came to Chicago for a limited run. And I was fortunate enough to see the show both in London and, this weekend, here in Chicago.
And what a delightful theatrical experience this show is. Perhaps it’s not the stuff Broadway legends are made of, but this show is a keeper, and it gives one of the most fun-filled and delightful afternoons in the theater I’ve had since.....well, since The Book of Mormon.
Tick (Mitzi), Bernadette, and Adam (Felicia) head to Alice Springs to perform at a resort run by Tick’s wife Marion; they have long been separated, but before the separation Tick and Marion had a child, Benji. Caught up in the gay life of Sydney, Tick has never told anyone he is a father. Adventures follow the three men as they drive across the desert encountering improbable characters and facing dangers ranging from death in the desert from lack of water (but looking fabulous!) to ugly homophobia. The climax comes when Tick must face his son for, basically, the first time, attempting to bond as father-son, helped by grounding from Marion, and, no matter the cost, look wonderful.
Yes, the bus is there on stage! Slightly smaller, to be sure, but pink--and every other color and design imaginable: it’s covered it LED lights which change as needed. There are background curtains of LED lights and divas descending from above and country music and disco balls and . . . more, so much more. The show is a feast for the senses.
Most importantly it affirms the simple fact that a family can consist of all sorts of arrangements. Whether it’s two men and a transsexual in a bus or a father and son making ties over great emotional distances, families, one understands upon leaving this show, are now and forever changed and mean something different than they did for Mom and Dad way back in the dark ages.
If you’re gay, this show is absolutely life-affirming. After the show I told Roger, one of three friends who accompanied me, that this was the gayest show I had ever seen. And it was so in such a way that made one proud to be gay and confident that the regardless of how awful our past has been, the future will be better--no, the future will be fabulous!
And what a delightful theatrical experience this show is. Perhaps it’s not the stuff Broadway legends are made of, but this show is a keeper, and it gives one of the most fun-filled and delightful afternoons in the theater I’ve had since.....well, since The Book of Mormon.
Tick (Mitzi), Bernadette, and Adam (Felicia) head to Alice Springs to perform at a resort run by Tick’s wife Marion; they have long been separated, but before the separation Tick and Marion had a child, Benji. Caught up in the gay life of Sydney, Tick has never told anyone he is a father. Adventures follow the three men as they drive across the desert encountering improbable characters and facing dangers ranging from death in the desert from lack of water (but looking fabulous!) to ugly homophobia. The climax comes when Tick must face his son for, basically, the first time, attempting to bond as father-son, helped by grounding from Marion, and, no matter the cost, look wonderful.
Yes, the bus is there on stage! Slightly smaller, to be sure, but pink--and every other color and design imaginable: it’s covered it LED lights which change as needed. There are background curtains of LED lights and divas descending from above and country music and disco balls and . . . more, so much more. The show is a feast for the senses.
Most importantly it affirms the simple fact that a family can consist of all sorts of arrangements. Whether it’s two men and a transsexual in a bus or a father and son making ties over great emotional distances, families, one understands upon leaving this show, are now and forever changed and mean something different than they did for Mom and Dad way back in the dark ages.
If you’re gay, this show is absolutely life-affirming. After the show I told Roger, one of three friends who accompanied me, that this was the gayest show I had ever seen. And it was so in such a way that made one proud to be gay and confident that the regardless of how awful our past has been, the future will be better--no, the future will be fabulous!
I couldn't agree more with your analysis. Unadulterated joy; in-your-face-proud-to-be-gay show for both gays and straights. Thanks for the memories!
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