KEY POINTS:
It's all about the frocks, darling! Forget the fashion hype around Sex and the City, the costumes in the new stage show of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert really have to be seen to be believed.
Usually, if a theatre critic talks first about the costumes in the show, people worry that it must be a bomb, but when we're talking Priscilla it really has to start with the outfits.
And what costumes! At Tuesday night's opening all the preshow hype was justified with absolutely gobsmacking outfits that really have to be seen to be believed. Human paintbrushes, cupcakes with candles that really light up and a whole zoo of Australian wildlife are just some of the highlights in a show where the outfits are almost their own characters. But then it's little wonder, given that the film's Academy Award-winning design team of Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner are at the helm.
The good news is the script and songs are equally strong and they're faithful to the movie so fans will be able to relive their favourite moments of the drag queen road trip from hell.
All the highlights are there, from Adam (Felicia) singing opera and riding the big bus in the desert to Bernadette trading insults with the local yokels and, of course, the iconic set pieces with their outrageous costumes.
Of the leads, I was most impressed with Tony Sheldon, who played Bernadette with just the right amount of class, and Daniel Scott (Adam), who was perfectly bratty and looked just fantastic in all his dance numbers. Both were great at echoing what fans loved about the film but reinterpreting it for the stage show.
Jeremy Stanford had a more difficult role as the conflicted Tick (Mitzi), who is trying to balance fatherhood with his drag queen persona. He needed more steel and less whining to be truly sympathetic.
The musical arrangement was as clever as the costumes, with plenty of camp flourishes and some witty tongue-in-cheek humour adding extra sparkle. The band were very tight and on opening night blasted out of the pit like a force to be reckoned with.
Matching them note for note were Sophie Carter, Amelia Cormack and Josie Lane, aptly named The Divas, who sang most of the songs, which the characters lip sync to.
Incredibly talented, they made drag standards such as Say a Little Prayer, I Will Survive and MacArthur Park sound fresh, lush and gorgeous. They belted them out with a power unaffected by their over-the-top costumes or the fact that they were dangling metres above the stage for most of the three-hour show.
Special mention must go to 7-year-old Auckland boy Harry, who wasn't fazed by the size of the mighty Civic stage or his fellow actors (giants in wigs and heels). He performed like a seasoned pro in a heart-warming scene that would have cracked even the hardest of hearts.
Auckland's drag queen community was out in force on opening night (looking fabulous, girls). I wonder if they felt there was some irony about being so welcome at an Auckland City Council venue when the council has not been overly supportive of the Hero Festival over the years. I was also curious to know if they thought the show had enough camp flourishes. Personally, I would have liked to see more bitch and bite to the action, which will hopefully come withtime as the touring team settle into the season.
The original movie was memorable for three star elements _ the strong cast, the costumes and the surreal landscape of the Australian outback. One of the most iconic scenes saw one of the drag queens singing opera atop the bus. This was always going to be difficult to re-create in the theatre and it is one scene that fell a little flat due to uninspiring lighting that failed to capture the energy of the original. Nick Schilieper's lighting design seemed a little muddy throughout and at times I wanted to see more of the costumes and the actors.
Nit-picking aside, the costumes look a million bucks and there are some neat theatrical tricks that will impress fans of the movie. It's a fun night out that combines quality special effects with solid acting, singing and dancing that overall take musical theatre to a level not seen in Auckland since Saturday Night Fever.
Grab your feather boa, don some sequins and shake your groove thang!
* Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
* Civic Theatre.
* Until July 6.
