Playbill of The Week: Priscilla Queen of the Desert

12/53

Any show that starts off with women lowering down from the afters belting followed by Will Swenson doing a puppet version of "It's Raining Men" is ok by me. Priscilla Queen of the Desert is a show that is filled with laughs, love, men who are 100% more beautiful than you and a heartwarming storyline. If you missed it on Broadway, in Toronto or on tour, well I'm so sorry for your loss.

I ended up seeing the show twice, once in its pre-Broadway try out in Toronto and then once on Broadway. I couldn't keep myself away from the fabulousness of this show. It was loud and colourful, but had a beautiful story that anyone could relate to. At the core it's about family and friends, and how they become your family. It's about acceptance and tolerance, learning that at the end of the day, whether you're a man in a dress or a woman who works at a Casino, we are all the same. There really isn't anything different between us. Except for Nick Adams, no one's like him.

The show features Nick Adams as Felicia/Adam, Will Swenson as Mitzie/Tick and Tony Sheldon as Bernadette. Three fabulous, eccentric characters all with a different story and background. The three men portray such beautifully complex interesting characters, that in my opinion didn't get enough recognition. These over the top characters never seemed like caricatures of a person, they're troubles and non-drag personas gave them a real grounded feel to them, and reminded the audience that they are human beings and not just wigs and makeup.

Nick Adams was a standout as Felicia/Adam. His exuberant, colourful character out up with a lot in this show. Bigoted, small minded people who are afraid of anything different. Not only was it verbal abuse his character went through, but also physical when his character takes a wrong turn and ends up being beaten up by a small town group of men. When he sings "True Colours" alongside Will Swenson and Tony Sheldon, it's a beautifully heartbreaking point in the show. His performance was as beautiful as he is. And also when he does the splits in "Material Girl" my jaw dropped to the floor.

One of my favourite performances in the show came from Will Swenson, who I mentioned my admiration for in my previous Murder Ballad review. He's a performer who just draws you in to what he's doing. As Mitzie/Tick he commands the stage when he's on it, yet he's very soft and nurturing. A man who was once married, travels across the country to perform at his ex-wife's Casino and meet the son they had together. His confusion and nervousness around being a father is a complex roller coaster which Will plays out beautifully. One of my favourite performances of his is in MacArthur Park when he starts singing 'someone left the cake out in the rain.' His comedic timing is perfect in this song, the dramatics are out in full force. Also when he sings "Always on My Mind/I Say A Little Prayer" with his son it made me tear up more than it should have. Tony Sheldon was the only member nominated for a Tony but truthfully I think all three of them deserved it.

Tony Sheldon's performance can just be summed up as perfection. He's played Bernadette in Australia, London, New Zealand and Broadway and for good reason. He encapsulates the essence of Bernadette. He makes her a wonderful, energetic, loveable character who you just want good things to happen to. If you don't believe me listen to "A Fine Romance" and you'll see that I'm right. I think Tony should have won the Tony, but that's just me.

Now I cannot leave out a few key performances. First off The Divas. Jacquelin Arnold, Anastacia McCleskey and Ashley Spencer are a larger than life girl group who travels along with the show acting almost as narrators. They repel down from the sky, belt their faces off, all while looking fabulous. Each one holds their own yet works perfectly together. Then we have J Elaine Marcos as Cynthia. Bob; who is Bernadette's love interests, wife Cynthia who is an eccentric ping-pong popping character. She's larger than life and hilarious. Last but not least we have Keala Settle who plays Shirley. A townie with a mullet who dreams of having a more colourful world. She plays this somewhat unfortunate character so perfectly you start to wonder if that's who she really is. The entire cast is a perfect ensemble. Everyone is a standout in my books.

This show didn't have a long life on Broadway, but will reign as one of the most fun times at a theatre. A jukebox musical with heart and laughter. It's colourful and big and heart warming. Everything you'd want from a night at the theatre. I truthfully don't think this show got the recognition it deserved. It brought on difficult subject matter and made you think about how we act as human beings, all while being fun and entertaining. If you get a chance to see it do it, I'm sure it's touring around somewhere.