Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
★★★★★ Long live the Queen
Festival Theatre: Wed 12 – Sat 15 Mar 2025
Review by Rebecca Mahar
The Bohemians open their limited run of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – The Musical at the Festival Theatre to a standing ovation, with a production full of glitz, glam, disco, and heart.
The musical, packed with pop hits, follows the journey of Mitzi and fellow drag queens Felicia and Bernadette across the Australian outback. Their mission, unbeknownst to the latter two queens, is not just to perform a weeks-long run at an Alice Springs casino, but to reunite Tick with his family.
Greg McCafferty-Thomson, Adam Whitley and Graeme Melvin. Pic: Æ Screenshot from promo video.
Adapted by Stephan Elliot and Allan Scott from Elliot’s 1994 film of the same name, the jukebox musical gives a whole lot of space for the central trio to shine. And they certainly do shine – with Greg McCafferty-Thomson as Anthony “Tick” Belrose and his drag persona Mitzi Mitosis; Dean McAvoy as Adam Whitley who performs as Felicia Jollygoodfellow and Graeme Melvin as transgender queen Bernadette Bassenger.
The Bohemians throw everything they’ve got at this production: innumerable costumes and quick-changes by Kate Dixon; lighting from Scott Davidson that ranges from flashy, disco-heaven concert style to the sweet and evocative; and a full-size bus (what is Priscilla, after all, without its Queen) amidst an array of detailed sets.
Add props by Carole Gibson, Daisy McDonald and Anne Saunderson, and the feat of giving flight to the show’s three narrative singing Divas (Rosie Sugrue, Felicity Thomas and Emily-Jane Lister), all mightily coordinated by technical director Malcolm J. Burnett. With flawless scene changes executed by a baker’s dozen of technical crew, the design and technical aspects of this Priscilla stand up to the show’s flamboyant, larger-than-life reputation.
a breath of fresh air
Equally, the scores-strong ensemble pull out all the stops, under MD Finlay Turnbull with choreography of Fiona Burns. The company are vocally excellent, powering through number after number with energy and pitch, all while dancing up a storm to a score packed with hits such as It’s Raining Men, Colour My World and Boogie Wonderland.
There’s nothing particularly complicated about Burns’s choreography, which has clearly been designed to be inclusive of those without specialised training, while offering features to those who do, and to meet the ensemble where they’re at. That’s not a criticism: it’s a breath of fresh air in an industry where ever-greater levels of dance continue to be required to even be considered for an ensemble role. It shows that well-crafted, well-executed choreography that meets the needs of a show and the abilities of its performers is of equal merit.
A scene from Priscilla Queen of the Desert by The Bohemians. Pic: Æ Screenshot from promo video.
In addition to working as a well-oiled machine as a whole, members of the ensemble step out into featured roles throughout the show. Props to Joshua Daniel Fleming as Miss Understanding, one of Tick’s fellow Sydney drag queens and Kirsten Simpson as Cynthia, mechanic Bob’s mail-order bride of exceptional talent.
Bethany Dunion as Shirley; Ali Wood and Max Mitchell as the Country Girl and Boy; Gustav Selstam as Young Bernadette; Keith Starsmeare as the Pastor and Jimmy; Greg Lamb as Errol; and Shona Sandison as Jules all have their distinct moments, large or small, and each makes the most of their time in the spotlight.
Director Malcy J. Burnett focuses the production on its key relationships: the queens and how they relate to one another and to the world; plus Bernadette and Bob (Russell Coid), Tick and his friendly-but-estranged wife Marion (Lynne Sadler) and, finally, Tick and his eight year old son, Benji (Finn Craig).
It is the navigation of these intimacies among the beautiful, bombastic song-and-dance of the show that really makes it work, and sing, with a resonance greater than that of the performers’ voices kissing the back of the theatre.
gentle acceptance
Lynne Sadler’s Marion is kind and jocular with her estranged husband, and supportive of his work in drag, but not willing to take any nonsense from him either. Her just-a-little-tough love is enough to convince Tick to make the journey for Benji’s sake. Sadler radiates gentle acceptance when he and the other queens arrive, exemplifying the kind of supportive parental partner her Marion intends to be.
A scene from Priscilla Queen of the Desert by The Bohemians. Pic: Æ Screenshot from promo video.
As Benji, Finn Craig is all beaming smiles and confidence, with a well-practised accent and strong young voice. He delivers his answers to Tick’s fearful questions about whether Benji would mind if he had a boyfriend with the blithe matter-of-factness of youth, demonstrating that Benji has been raised without prejudice, and stands up well with McCafferty-Thomson in their duet.
Craig also demonstrates a blooming talent for dance during the dreamlike sequence of Tick’s fantasia on fatherhood. Craig plays Benji on Weds, Fri, and the Sat matinee; on Thurs and Sat evening, watch out for Oliver Thomson in the role.
In the role of Bob, the mechanic who mends Priscilla in the outback, Russell Coid demonstrates touching sweetness in his moment alone in Fine Romance (Reprise). He allows himself to explore his emerging feelings for Bernadette, even as he thinks she’s leaving him behind, before he ends up joining the queens for the remainder of their journey. Coid’s combination of sincerity and charm are perfect for Bob’s gentle and nonjudgemental masculinity.
skilful vulnerability
Dean McAvoy’s Adam is sharp and salacious, bold and confident to a fault. When Adam’s confidence and naïveté lead him to go out in drag looking for fun (Hot Stuff) at a bar in a town that is not welcoming to the queens, McAvoy demonstrates with skilful vulnerability Adam’s shift from brashness to terror to hurt and anguish when he is attacked and nearly sexually assaulted by a group of homophobic men, and has to deal with the fallout of that encounter.
McCafferty-Thomson’s Tick is a masterclass in confident insecurity, presenting a front to his fellow queens that cracks and crumbles when he considers the reality of what he’s doing. McCafferty-Thomson is at his best when Tick is thinking of Benji, and shines with adoration for the son he’s never met, and his earnest desire to be a good father.
When faced with Benji, and forced to reconcile his drag persona with his son, rather than hiding it from him, McCafferty-Thomson’s fear and anxiety is aching to behold, as is his dawning realisation that it’s all going to be ok, no matter the adjustments and complications that may lie ahead.
The cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert by The Bohemians. Pic Screenshot by The Bohemians.
The three queens are each exceptional and, as a unit, are a gloriously cohesive trio, buzzing with platonic and familial chemistry, all superbly timed. Nevertheless, the indisputable star of this show is Graeme Melvin as Bernadette. From his beautifully specific movement and vocal choices, to his delivery of some of the film’s most iconic lines that have transferred to the musical, Melvin excels on every front.
Bernadette must be hard and soft; a traditionally femme-presenting transgender woman, who has faced monumental struggles, overcome them, and continues to face the bigotry of her present day. She is flippant, joyful, sarcastic and optimistic, all at once.
Despite her clashes with Adam, she immediately (and physically) comes to his defence when he is endangered; brushing off insults to herself in favour of rescuing Adam – and getting in the last word. She is the embodiment of the Elder Queer who has seen too much and been through too much, yet still rises to guide and comfort the younger generation who have not faced quite the same struggles or yet experienced that kind of hardening pain.
tour-de-force
Bernadette counsels and consoles Adam, comforts Tick, and still manages to believe that she may find true love; there will be another song for Bernadette – not just with “someone who has a thing for transsexuals,” but with “a true gentleman”.
Melvin navigates all the complexity of Bernadette with skill and grace, an openness and honesty that communicate the full picture of the character, the human, behind the fabulous wardrobe and razor-sharp wit. Making the absolute most of the script, songs and teamwork with his fellow queens, Melvin’s delivery of Bernadette is a tour-de-force.
At its heart Priscilla isn’t about the journey, it’s about the discoveries along the way. It’s about chosen family – and choosing family, biological or not. Choosing vulnerability, choosing love, and choosing joy in the authenticity of self, in all its multifaceted confusion and wonder.
The Bohemians have captured the spirit and essence of Priscilla like lightning in a bottle; an explosion of glitter whose sparkle will remain long after the show has closed.
Running time: Two hours and 25 minutes (including one interval)
Festival Theatre, 13-29 Nicolson St. EH8 9FT
Wed 12 – Sat 15 March 2025
Daily: 7:30pm; Sat mat: 2:30pm
NB: Thurs 13 Mar is a special sing-along performance.
Regular performance tickets and details: Book here.
Thursday sing-along performance: Book here.
ENDS
