PRISCILLA To Take The Palace — Page 6

I'm going to the first (regular) preview tonight. Will try not to turn this into a WOTV thread. ;-P

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Observations from the first preview in Toronto:

Priscilla Queen of the Desert is a musical-comedy romp in the Mamma Mia vein--only a thousand times gayer. And just as Mamma Mia audiences leap to their feet to sing the reprise of "Dancing Queen" at the end of the show, the opening night preview audience at Priscilla lept to their feet to sing the reprise of "I Will Survive." It's that kind of show.

Based on the 1994 film, Priscilla brings the fabulous styles (the flip-flp dress, the lizard costume) and piercing Aussie accents to the stage. The music runs the gamut from rousing gay pride parade-type standards ("It's Raining Men," "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "Go West") to a maudlin rendition of "True Colors." But what the stage version lacks is the heart that makes the film both touching and funny. While it IS entertaining, there's not a lot of depth.

Will Swenson seems slightly miscast as the main character of Tick, who leads his confreres across the desert in a bus ostensibly to perform a drag show, but in reality to be reunited with his young son (from a--gasp!--straight marriage). Alas, I couldn't quite buy Swenson as his flamboyant drag queen alter ego Mitzi, nor did I find his manly Tick all that emotionally compelling. Vocally, he was not that strong, either. What he, and the character need, is more drama--both the emotional and the queenly kind.

Tony Sheldon (Bernadette) comes across as an old pro, and indeed he's a veteran of both the Australian and West End productions of Priscilla. I have no problems with his performance, though I was neither surpised nor truly moved by it, either.

Adam/Felicia is the perfect role for Nick Adams--truly, all his, um, assets are on full display. Imbuing Adam/Felicia with vanity and the imperviousness of youth, he just needs to sharpen the character's humor, mischieviousness, and grating/annoying quality. Clearly a showy role, Swenson's Tick (who should be the main characer) seems dim in comparison. Though not distinctive, Nick's voice was the strongest of the leads. And he's a solid dancer--and clearly very flexible.

The audience (which had more gay men than Saturday night at Woody's, not to mention some real live drag queens--one of whom kindly removed her wig so as not to impede the view of the people behind her--what courtesy!) ate up the show. They laughed at the opening strains of "I Say A Little Prayer" and clearly knew the movie well--laughing at first appearance of Cynthia (J. Elaine Marcos), Bob's (C. David Johnson) crazy Asian mail-order bride. Beware the ping pong balls! Some of the jokes come straight out of the movie; others are new. I don't think that people who haven't seen the movie will be at a disadvantage--and might even benefit by not knowing the punch lines in advance.

The (female, singing) divas (who are frequently seen hanging on a wire above the stage) were fine, as was the orchestra/band, and the ensemble was very good--notably the petite, plus-sized Keala Settle, who played a variety of funny roles and the fierce Nathan Lee Graham as Miss Understanding.

The costumes were truly specacular. Particularly fantabulous was Trumpet's funeral, which begins with a tableaux of guests (recalling the Ascot scene in My Fair Lady) dressed in outrageous Alexander McQueen-meets-Lady Gaga-type funeral finery. They then proceed to sing "Don't Leave Me This Way," one of many disco hits in the show, including "Hot Stuff", "MacArthur Park," "Shake Your Grove Thing" and "Boogie Wonderland." For the North American adaptation, Kylie Minogue songs were replaced with Madonna songs, such as "Material Girl," "Holiday," and "Like A Prayer."

Despite the complexity of the show, it doesn't appear any major changes are required, only a sharpening of the lead performances and fixing of some timing issues (the actors need to pause after some of the bigger jokes as the dialog was being drowned out by laughter). While curmudgeons will shudder, those that like to wave rainbow flags on Pride Day (or wear feather boas to the theatre--as some did) will have a blast. Opening night is October 26th.

Note: It was just announced that Bette Midler is joining the producing team of Priscilla. Supposedly she will be attending previews and offering notes, among other things.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/theatre/story/2010/10/13/midler-priscilla-toronto.html

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"Though not distinctive, Nick's voice was the strongest of the leads."

Nick Adams has the strongest singing voice of the three leads in a new Broadway bound musical? Now THAT should be interesting.

^ Her character only has about two minutes of stage time.

apologies for my ignorance,canmark, but is that your personal review?
just interested in knowing :)

"And yes, Nick Adams, who sounds more like he should be in the chorus, has the strongest voice of the leads. It's that kind of show. This is not a male Dreamgirls where you will be blown away by the singing."
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It would be if Thom were in a lead role! :)

So here's my impression from the 10/15/10 performance.

The show is like a Busby Berkley musical:heavy on the production numbers;slight on plot. At times it was more like a concert than a musical.

But this is not all a negative thing if you are looking for a night out of fun and bawdy humor. Those who complain about spending over $100 for a show cannot say they didn't get their money's worth. The prodution numbers are packed with color, costumes, wigs, and sets all to keep your senses occupied.

For those interested in the stage curtain, it's really a downstage scrim with a crudely drawn map of Australia showing the trip about to be taken. There is a 7 foot tall lipstick tube in the same shade as the drawing placed in front of the scrim. As the overture begins, a gigantic mirrored ball lowers to splash disco lighting throuout the crowd.

Tony Sheldon, having done his role now for years, is quite comfortable and shows obvious committment to his character. His love story is not as prominent as it was in the film.

Nick Adams is having his moment in the sun. He's showing the character as bratty, catty, queeny, bitchy and totally in control. He works tha costumes and the crowd loves him as both Adam and Felicia. He looks like he's having tremendous fun.

If only the same could be said for Will Swenson. I don't know whether Mr. Swenson is uncomfortable with showing his feminine side (his gestures look terribly forced) or whether he is simply playing the character as one uncomfortable in his own skin. The plot, thin as it is, centers on his relationship with his son. It's a leading role, but not played that way. He barely smiled during the curtain call.

Lots of glitz and glamour. The audience loved it. The critics will likely shoot down the lack of depth in the storytelling. but the production is sumptuous.

Updated On: 10/16/10 at 12:39 PM

12th row center orchestra....March 12, 2011....YAY!!

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster to American Express Card holders (Presale)

MrsPeel, I'd go for the New York PRISCILLA over the London version, particularly if you have seen the show before. The new version has several new song additions and has had a script revamp.

The AMEX presale ends on 10/29 so tickets will likely go on sale to the general public shortly after that.