Theatre review: Priscilla — Queen Of The Desert | 2.5/5

SINGAPORE — The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the surprise 1994 Australian hit film starring the brilliant trio of Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Terence Stamp, remains to this day the extravagantly silly and surprisingly poignant delight that both critics and audiences loved.

Which is why this fan was especially excited to see this beloved story about two flashy drag queens and a transsexual travelling in a camper bus (dubbed Priscilla) in its full sequined glory on the Singapore stage.

Sadly, while Priscilla — Queen Of The Desert took West End and Broadway by storm, it appears that pomp and pageantry was left behind when this crazy bus arrived in Singapore.

There seemed to be way too many Priscilla staples lacking in this version. Where was the spectacularly sequined, glammed-out, life-sized high-heel shoe that has become so synonymous with the musical? The grand entrance of descending divas from up high? The show-stopping reveal of Priscilla herself?

Technical difficulties aside (a faulty sound system hounded the hardworking cast), the titular bus itself seemed underwhelming in design and under-utilised as a set-piece in an already sparse set. This, on the Resorts World Sentosa stage that already feels too big anyway. Throw in a painfully disparate range of accents (and universally bad attempts at Aussie inflections) and our aural pleasure is clearly diminished — either everyone goes all out with the Aussie accent or no one does.

All that said, the Filipino cast, boasting veteran and popular household names, do try their best. Michael Williams, easily the best voice on stage, shines as drag queen-cum-nervous father Mitzi/Tick with his smooth, buttery vocals; while Red Concepcion gives his all as Adam/Felicia. And although Jon Santos’s singing falls short, he nonetheless manages to own the stage when his ageing transsexual Bernadette rolls out the bitchy quips, spot-on one-liners and incessant eye-rolling.

With its roster of foot-tappers like I Will Survive, It’s Raining Men, Go West, Hot Stuff and a smorgasboard of KylieMinogue classics, Priscilla is a jukebox musical right up my alley. Which is why, while this production was not perfect, I still had fun. What worked brilliantly in the film has managed to resonate in the musical — that undeniable feel-good factor. And what more can one ask for during a campy night out on the town? Just ask all the charged-up audience members who were on their feet singing, dancing, cheering and clapping at the finale. Genevieve Loh

Priscilla — Queen of the Desert is on until Oct 26 at Resorts World Theatre, Resorts World Sentosa. Tickets from S$48 at SISTIC.