Showing at the Opera House in Manchester the feel good musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert was a joy to watch from beginning to the end.
Jam-packed with disco classics and full of laugh out loud moments this flamboyant extravaganza is as camp as Christmas.
Three drag queens, Tick (Blue’s Duncan James), Bernadette (Simon Green), and Adam, also known as Felicia (Adam Bailey), travel on a run down battered old bus they name Priscilla to Palm Springs to star in a cabaret show.
Unbeknown to his two friends Tick has another reason for making the road trip: he wants to get to know his six-year-old son Benji with whom he has no relationship.
Wardrobe head Suzanne Runcorn has pulled out all the stops for this production.
Costumes are glamorous, glitzy and at times bizarre, but always fantastic.
From dancing cupcakes to the most colourful funeral you’ve ever seen, the queens’ colourful outfits and amazing headwear make every scene is a wonder for the eyes.
The dance numbers that come thick and fast are performed by a polished cast.
If I was a little unsure whether Duncan James would be a convincing drag queen, I didn’t need to worry: he’s amazing in the role of Tick, and along with nailing the Australian accent he reminds the audience what a superb singer he is.
The divas (Lisa-Marie Holmes, Laura Mansell, and Catherine Mort) have powerful singing voices and great stage presence.
The hit song Pop Muzik performed by Julie Yammanee in the role of frisky Cynthia was hilarious if a little risqué.
Priscilla herself deserves a mention. Although she can’t compete with everything else on stage she shone in her own right. With moving wheels and adorned by bright lights, she quite righly took up residence centre stage for most of the evening.
Director Jason Capewell has engineered a sensational show that I would highly recommend highly.
