Priscilla Queen of the Desert - Nottingham Review

Review by Amber
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review

If you were to tell me there is a cult classic musical about drag queens involving heavy tit-swinging, cake headwear and a child at the start of a gambling addiction, I would have asked what sort of substance you were abusing and where I could get some.  

Photo by Johan Persson.

But all of this is put to brilliant, hilarious use by Priscilla Queen of the Desert in ways that feel in equal measure bedazzling and bewildering. Vicky Gill's costumes are a masterclass in theatrical costuming – sculptured, show-stopping and constantly working to top the previous outfit last seen by the audience. Included in this were some crisp, quick changes for all cast members, the ensemble changing from drag to sweaty country folk within the briefest of musical interludes.  

Adele Anderson’s Bernadette is played with grace, elegance and wit. It is refreshing to see a transwoman as the principal role in a musical being played by a transwoman and to see her get a happy ending brought tears to my eyes. This is the sort of representation for trans characters that is sorely needed in all media and to find it in Priscilla was a more than welcome surprise. It also helps that Anderson’s line delivery is as sharp as a sword and unrelenting.  

Kevin Clifton as Tick and Nick Hayes as Felicia both carry so much natural chemistry alongside Anderson that I would be more than happy to watch a docuseries following the three on adventures in the Australian Outback and beyond. From their first scene together as a trio, I couldn’t get enough of their bickering and comebacks.  

We follow the three on their journey from Sydney to a remote casino owned by Tick’s estranged wife, Marion. Tick is keeping a secret from his two friends while imparting on this journey on Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (the tour bus the group travels in); he is going to meet his nine-year-old son for the first time.  

Photo by Johan Persson.

Along the journey, the trio meets various groups of people, some more welcoming than others. The show feels hesitant to let itself stay in the deeper, more complex emotions of some of its own themes, as times – when Priscilla is vandalised with homophobic messaging, there’s a beat of sadness before we break out into song. It’s clear that the show doesn’t want to bring down its own mood, though this is at the sake of letting us, as an audience, grasp the potential dangers our main trio is in. A later scene in Act Two feels similarly shallow in its emotional potential, though Nick Hayes does what he can with the material to try to make the audience understand it.  

Despite being such a pillar for queer joy and expression, it is a shame that the show has not updated its material to clear out the racially insensitive portrayal of Cynthia, the Filipina mail-order bride of Bob (Peter Duncan). She is much younger than her husband, who, despite the show trying to make me like him, I can only despise for the fact he is unkind to the woman he is married to. Cynthia is a caricature of misogynistic, racist stereotypes that culminated in one of the most alienating moments I’ve experienced at the theatre. I would have hoped that a show so successful in queer representation would have reworked that material to no longer rely on foul racial stereotyping to make the audience laugh for a few minutes.  

I can easily see a version of the show working to uplift and celebrate identity in all aspects without disparaging the cultural identity of other characters. When that day comes, because I am hopeful that this show can be reworked to remove those racially insensitive elements, Priscilla will easily be one of the most fun shows I’ve seen. It is still a glorious, shimmering romp through the Outback with three wonderfully written characters with excellent performances across the entire company – shout out to Miss Understanding (James Wolstenholme) for turning a busted mic issue into comedy gold!  

⭐⭐⭐

Priscilla Queen of the Desert is currently playing across the UK and is at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall until Saturday 2nd May. To book tickets visit: https://priscillauktour.com/#dates 

Adèle Anderson and Peter Duncan. Photo by Johan Persson