Ever wondered how Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical came into being? The show is based on the 1994 film, starring Terence Stamp, which was written and directed by Stephan Elliot. The film attacked the mythology of the heterosexual outback male, the ‘good ‘ocher’, like Crocodile Dundee. It showed these straight, white, Australian men  to be heavy drinkers suspicious of anything they don’t understand, violent, rude and vulgar. Their definitions of masculinity constrained and rigid. In the film the desert landscape provides an amazing, extremely natural backdrop to the  artificiality of the drag queens. One of the most powerful moments of the film shows the main characters, in full drag, climbing up King’s Canyon. Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical brings  the same basic story to the West End stage.  But what happens to it without backdrop of the Australian desert and does it matter in the end? Priscilla? The Priscilla of the title isn’t a cast member as such but she is definitely becomes a character in the show. She is in fact a purpose-built VW bus. But this is a VW like no other you’ve ever seen before! priscilla queen desert 5 little known facts about the amazing bus at the heart of the story. Not just any old VW bus Priscilla forms an integral part of the stage set for the show. Priscilla is a highly technical piece of set design with an onboard computer and she cost over $1 million Australian dollars to build.

She is 8 meters long and weighs almost 6 tons and she sits on a ring revolve She has a fully retractable side wall panel She has 3 internal hydraulic lifts She can shake Like any great disco setting she changes colour, thanks to 100s of LED lights in her panelling.

Like many VW busses Priscilla can be temperamental and her computer gave the show’s producers a few headaches during pre-views. By the way, did you spot the divas up above the bus? Read on to discover more about their role in the story… Queen? Although we all know that the bus is supposed to be the queen of the show she’s got some serious competition from the other stars of the show. Jason Donovan plays Tick who’s alter ego is drag queen Mitzi Del Bra. Tick agrees to travel to Alice Springs, in the heart of the Australian outback to do a show and invites outrageous fellow drag queen Adam, Felicia (Oliver Thornton) and recently bereaved, transsexual Bernadette (Tony Sheldon) to join him.  They travel in a beat up, old  VW bus which Adam christens Priscilla. Along the way they collect Bob, the mechanic, meet a variety of Australian characters (mostly in bars, see above!) and eventually reach Alice Springs where Tick is reconciled with his 8-year-old son Benjamin. Some find love, others understanding and all emerge stronger and better able to cope.  It’s hard to say who is ‘queen’ of the London production but Tony Sheldon’s performance as Bernadette  takes some beating. Click here to view the embedded video. Then there are those queens of disco, the Divas.The Divas are 3 first class singers who have been added to the stage show to get over the problem of miming. At several points in the show the three drag artistes mime as part of their stage shows, just like real drag acts would. To avoid the danger of the audience feeling the show was anything other than 100% live the idea of the 3 divas, described by Stephan Elliott the film’s writer/director, as ‘desert drag goddesses’, was born. The 3 divas sing and their songs are lip-synched simultaneously by the leads. The divas have to have amazingly strong disco voices that will stand up to the power of songs like I Will Survive and Downtown. Not only that they have to deliver these show-stopping songs whilst while suspended high above the stage, supported by harnesses that run right across their abdominal muscles. It is quite incredible that they are able to belt out these powerful anthems in such a precarious position! Being suspended causes another problem for the divas. Any wild movements and the whole set will start to swing. All their actions while they are up there have to be concentrated on their arms from the elbow to the fingertips. The divas in London are currently played by Zoe Birkett, Kate Gillespie and Emma Lindars. Desert? Priscilla Queen desert The staging of the show is supposed to evoke the Australian desert. This is mostly done with atmospheric lighting but it can’t really compete with the reality of the film. And why should it? This is a stage musical after all and we are there more for the music and the spectacle than any deep meaningful insights. The desert and the feeling of heat was such a big part of the original film because the outback has special cultural significance to Australians. This is perhaps less true  for a UK audience and anyway we’re far to busy bopping along to some disco classics to worry too much about anything deep and meaningful! Bring on the dancing cup cakes I say . So there you have it, Priscilla, queen, desert, at the end of the day what matters most seems to be the celebration of the human spirit, love, energy and excitement of disco rather than anything too deep. a

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Theatre Breaks Reviewed for 2009 Linda looks back on 2009 for London Theatre Breaks as the top of the year approaches: Winter 2009 is here and I’m just wondering what sort of a year this has been for theatre breaks. There’s been a recent survey that assures us reality TV has actually boosted ticket sales. The box offices are claiming the credit crunch has had little effect on bookings, with most theatres usually full. But what has been the reality? The West End Shows In terms of shows one or two have closed early but the old favourites like We Will Rock You carry on. Avenue Q was saved from oblivion by popular demand and has moved to a new theatre. The Lion King is as popular as ever and proudly boasts that it is so well booked that it has NEVER released tickets to the reduced ticket agencies. Priscilla Queen of the Desert Some good shows reached the end of their natural life and wonderful though Spamalot was it really was time for it to say goodbye. It’s been replaced by Priscilla and that has been a fair swap. Carousel never really quite hit the spot and its closure wasn’t any great surprise. It was sad to see the end of Cabaret and a shame they couldn’t take a leaf out of Chicago’s book and find a constant stream of new familiar faces to keep us going back.  Joseph went too and no doubt was mourned by thousands of Lee Mead’s fans but it was another how that seemed ready to go. No doubt it will be back someday. One show I thought should have done better was Spring Awakening, which I just loved. All that energy and a theatre full of young people the night we went. I felt positively ancient, and that’s a good thing! (honest!) Oliver has of course been a total triumph with Jodie Prenger making a real name for herself. Who would have thought she’d still be there doing 8 shows a week nearly a year later? What a star. I saw her at West End live this year and she has a super voice and a lovely stage presence. She managed to upstage Christopher Biggins, to great comic effect and that takes some talent for comedy! I think we’ll see more of Jodie once she moves on but for now she seems happy where she is. She’s on her 3rd Fagin and this is the one I’d really like to see. I think Griff Reese Jones will make a great Fagin and be well worth the trip. Hairspray has seen some major changes with the departure of Micheal Ball. Still Phil Jupitous is doing a grand job and Brain Connely was very well recieved in the part. I wonder how long Micheal will stay away, I’m sure I heard somewhere that he’s thinking of coming back to Edna. We hope! Wicked is going from strength to strength and is the most popular musical at this witchy time of year. Kerry Ellis is just a distant memory now and Alexia Kadhim has made her own interpreation of Elphaba. I think she has a lovely voice, quite different to Kerry’s but wonderful all the same:

New shows coming into the West End and available for theatre breaks include Legally Blonde which I was less than keen on when first announced. Since then I’ve had a good look at the videos on youtube and listened to the cast recordings and I might just change my mind. It might be fun and has the sort of casting that makes me want to see it. What to say about Love Never dies (apart from “I can’t wait!!”)? Well it’s definitely going to be a huge event and it should be a spectacular in the best Andrew Lloyd Webber tradition. The Coney Island setting should give it a great atmosphere, you know how creepy fairgrounds can be. We’ve all seen Scoobydoo   It’s got two faboulous stars in Sarah Boggess and Ramin Karimaloo (I’ve been doing this so long I can now spell these names without flinching!) In the next part of this annual theatre breaks review I’ll be looking at the travel implications and prospects for London theatre breaks into 2010.

Things to do in June Flaming June comes around just after Spring has well and truly sprung, but before the main Summer holidays, which is in some ways ideal for theatre breaks with outdoor things to do in London. The river trips and topless bus tours come into their own at this time of year, as do the green spaces and parks.

West End Live

For the West End, there’s one special event which comes around each year usually around the third week and that’s West End Live. It’s a free entertainment festival put on in central London’s Leicester Square, right in the heart of theatreland, which serves to promote individual shows which take part and the West End as a whole. Participation varies, for example with Hairspray sending a full cast in costume to perform one number to kick of the show in 2009, and others such as Oliver and Wicked sending along one star to do a big number solo.

West End Live takes place over one weekend towards the end of June and I’m not suggesting anybody hangs around for the whole thing from start to finish, especially if your time in London is limited. Standing up for that length of time is exhausting enough and there’s a certain amount of waiting about between acts. It’s not really worth arriving early and queuing up to get inside the square for the start either, as the queues do build up to quite a length with people wanting to bag a place near the front but it definitely is worth dropping in for an hour or as proceedings get going and the crowds stabilise , and catching any shows you particularly want to see by keeping an eye on the programme of events. This will be found each year on the London Theatre Breaks blog in the West End Live section and they do stick very closely to the times stated because the singers and dancers need to know exactly when they will be on so they can schedule it in amongst rehearsals and even matinee performances on the Saturday. To give a sample of the happy atmosphere and the kind of performances to expect live in the square here are a few crowd videos from theatre breaks youTube.

Wicked Theatre Breaks

Alexia Khadime from Wicked sings The Wizard and I.

Priscilla Queen of The Desert

All singing All dancing All camp Priscilla

We Will Rock You

Every year the cast from We Will Rock You put on a big show with a full cast in costume doing several numbers Oliver!

Jodie Prenger from Oliver sings As Long as He Needs Me Chicago

In 2009 the cast of Chicago included none other than Jerry Springer Other Things to do in June Long light evenings are conducive to wandering about outdoors and pavement cafe meals in interesting side streets. Hyde Park and Regents Park are best known but the smaller St James Park is close by Victoria and Westminster and features a bandstand with live music sometimes, an airy Inn The Park with beautiful roof terrace, and a lake with exotic ducks geese and pelicans.

West End Live 2009 Saturday 20th June 11.05 Hairspray 11.15 Been So Long 11.30 Wicked 11.40 Dirty Dancing 11.55 The King and I 12.05 Oliver! 12.15 Sister Act 12.25 We Will Rock You 12.45 Priscilla Queen of the Desert 12.50 Chicago 13.10 Jersey Boys 13.30 Thriller Live 13.50 Forbidden Broadway 14.05 The Sylvia Young Theatre School 14.25 The South Bank Centre presents ‘Tom Tom Crew’ 14.45 Little Big Club 15.10 So Jest End 15.25 Avenue Q 15.45 Zanna Don’t 16.05 The London Gay Men’s Chorus 16.30 Too Close to the Sun 16.50 Faithless Bitches 17.05 The KB Fusionnaires 17.45 La Cage Aux Folles 17.55 Stomp West End Live Sunday 21st June 12.00 Stomp 12.15 Little Big Club 12.35 West End Kids 12.55 Jersey Boys 13.15 Thriller Live 13.35 Noise Ensemble 13.55 Zanna Don’t 14.10 Honk! 14.20 SOLT – Competition 14.25 Royal Albert Hall presents ‘The Red Stripe Band’ 15.05 Chinatown Arts Space Presents ‘TheBathroomGirl’ 15.25 Bar Rumba presents ‘Salsateca’ 15.40 Players Theatre presents ‘Victorian Music Hall’ 15.55 National Youth Music Theatre 16.10 Lord Mayor of Westminster’s West End LIVE presentations 16.20 Octave8 presents ‘Yot.K’ 16.50 Dover Street Restaurant and Jazz Bar presents ‘The Blues Engineers’ 17.25 Ain’t Nothin But Blues Bar present the ‘West Western Bluesonics’

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West End Live 2009 will take place on Saturday the 20th (11am to 6pm) and Sunday the 21st of June (12noon to 6pm). The venue will be Leicester Square. This is the 5th annual West End Live and promises to be even bigger and better than last year’s extravaganza. Although there’s no official running order or confirmations yet it seems likely we can expect to see performances from new shows like Priscilla and SIster Act as well as several of the more established favourites. As ever there will be some extracts from new off West End shows as well. As soon as I hear what the running order will be I’ll post it here so you can plan your trip to be sure of seeing favourites. I really want to see Sister Act! West End Live 2008 Last year’s West End Live was fantastic and well worth putting up with the crowds.

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Priscilla Theatre Breaks Priscilla theatre breaks are a great choice whether you’ve seen the film or not. Unlike many popular theatre breaks shows Priscilla is new to the West End but it’s not a new, untried production. Priscilla has been a long running show in Australia and it’s already becoming a favourite choice here in the UK too. Unlike some shows most of the audience are coming to it fresh with only a dedicated few who seen it more than once. priscilla queen of the dessert It’s a good choice for people who like a fun show, with lots of feel good music, laughter and even a few tears. Priscilla (the bus) forms a huge part of the set and almost becomes one of the characters of the show. The costumes defy description and are amazingly elaborate. The songs are disco classics and you’ll find it almost impossible to avoid singing along. Watch out for the dancing cup cakes! Priscilla - the show The show is of course based on the film Priscilla Queen of the Dessert and tells the story of of three colourful misfits as they wander through the Australian outback following their irrepressible dreams. Tick (Jason Donovan), Bernadette (Tony Sheldon) and Adam (Oliver Thornton), take their glamorous Sydney-based drag act to the heart of the Australian outback. The adventures of these three friends on their battered old bus (Priscilla) are full of love, friendship and laughter. There are also a few tears and lots of dresses! The trio end up finding more than they ever imagined and having lots of laughs along the way. Popular Hotels for Theatre Breaks The last thing you want after a great show like Priscilla is a long journey home, which is why Priscilla Theatre Breaks with inclusive overnight London hotel stays are usually the best way to plan and book tickets. When booking for whichever dates you have chosen, you will then be presented with the hotel options.

Popular hotels for theatre breaks

As you can see the top 3 hotels that people booked for theatre breaks after reading this blog have been:

St Giles Hotel Strand Palace Hotel Holiday Inn Kensington

The St Giles and the Strand Palace are both really close to the West End theatres and would be very convenient for Priscilla. The Holiday Inns are a little further out but very good places to stay and handy for lots of shopping and sight seeing. Don’t forget to consider the possibility of staying an extra night or two. There are often bargains to be had if you can! Priscilla Theatre Breaks With Friends Priscilla is a great choice for a theatre breaks with friends. Priscilla theatre breaks are a great way for a group of mates to bond. They are perfect for pre-wedding trips or for the classic ‘girlie’ weekend in London. Priscilla is also a good choice for families with older children. If you are making a group booking remember any number can be worked out with a combination of triple and twin bedded rooms. Six is a great number because then you can go for two triple rooms. If you have two people under 15 in your party then you might be able to get a Family (2 + 2) room bargain. Priscilla Video Clips I’ve chosen a couple of video clips, that will give you a flavour of the show

Book Priscilla Theatre Breaks

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Planning your Theatre Break When you are planning a theatre break often the safest option is to pick a classic show that you know will deliver a good night out. These are the shows that have been running the longest and have the best established productions. Theatre breaks to these shows are often a little bit easier to get for specific dates (like half-term or during the school holidays). Sometimes these classic shows can also be very good value for theatre breaks as they are not quite as much in demand as new shows like Priscilla or Oliver! You still get a wide range of shows to choose from, from the more operatic style of show to rock classics. There’s something to suit most tastes and I’m going to make a few suggestions to help you decide. 5 Classic Shows for Theatre Breaks

Les Miserables - huge, epic score, big cast, amazing almost operatic songs. Les Mis is still going strong after all these years Phantom of the Opera - smaller cast, less complex plot, but high production values, great score and another ‘operatic’ show. Blood Brothers - another long running show but this one has a very different feel. Willy Russel’s story of a pair of Liverpool brothers and the twists and turns of their lives has a depth that’s kept it amongst the best loved musicals for theatre breaks many years. Billy Elliot - another epic story with great ensemble set pieces. Billy is heart-rending but ultimately uplifting.You’ll come out feeling amazing! A perfect choice for theatre breaks. We Will Rock You - if you were a Queen fan or even if you weren’t this is the ultimate rock opera. It has all the fun of a rock concert without any of the unpleasantness!

Any of these shows could form the centre piece of a theatre break anyone in the family could enjoy.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Priscilla Queen of the Desert the musical opens on March 10th at the Palace theatre in London. ** Priscilla Theatre Breaks are available for booking from March 10th with hotel included from just £114.00 ** A vibrant tale of friendship and individuality, Priscilla Queen of the Desert tells the story of three colourful misfits as they treck through the Australian outback following their irrepressible dreams. Co-produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group. Direction is by Simon Phillips with musical arrangements by Stephen ‘Spud’ Murphy and choreography by Ross Coleman. Announced for the cast are Jason Donovan as “Tick”, Tony Sheldon as Ralph/Bernadette and Oliver Thornton as Adam Whiteley/Felicia. The advice is “Life is an adventure, dress accordingly” !!

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Priscilla Queen of the Dessert is all systems go at the moment. Everything is gearing up for the first preview night on March 10th. There’s a great interview with Zoe Birkett in the Northern Echo today. She’s come a long way from the 16 year old contestant in the first ever Pop Idol. (She came 4th) Zoe, who’s from Darlington, is 23 now. Priscilla will be her first big West End role although she’s been on tour with Thriller Live recently. Zoe’s been working hard behind the scenes for months. She explains: “The part that I play has so many quick changes that I need a face mask that already has make-up, false eyelashes, so that I can whip one off and put the next one on. I think it’s fantastic and I can’t wait but I couldn’t believe it when I was told ‘you’re going for your head cast next week’. I thought originally it was to do with the massive headdresses we’re going to wear,” . She’s really looking forward to playing a diva and singing songs like I Will Survive

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Priscilla Queen of the Desert theatre breaks are already becoming popular with our readers and I can see why. The show should be great fun and a worthy successor to Spamalot. Priscilla starts on March 10th at the Palace Theatre. I couldn’t resist showing you this great clip. Watch out for the dancing cup cakes!

There’s a great comment from someone who took their Dad to see the show: Halfway through the show I was worried my dad was going to die as he was laughing so hard he was having trouble breathing. Dad usually goes to musicals under protest but he LOVED this show, he has recommended it to all his friends which is a huge thing for him. Priscilla Queen of the Dessert Theatre Breaks for Groups Priscilla is bound to be be a popular choice for hen parties, stag nights, groups of friends or family groups. For the hotel stay, any number can work with a combination of triple and twin bedded rooms. Six is a great number because then you can go for two triple rooms, but if you have two people under 15 in your party then you might be able to book a family room (2 + 2) bargain. Hotels for Priscilla Queen of the Desert Theatre Breaks As Priscilla is in the Palace Theatre it is really at the heart of the West End. This makes it easy to get to from a wide variety of hotels. Priscilla Theatre Breaks with inclusive overnight London hotel stays are usually the best way to plan and book tickets. When booking you will be given the hotel options to choose from. Here are some suggestions which may help. Readers who’ve booked for shows at the Palace theatre have used:

Holiday Inn Bloomsbury **** Millenium Baileys Hotel **** Ramada, Hyde Park**** Holiday Inn London, Kensington Forum **** St Giles Hotel, Tottenham Court Road. ***

Of course you might decide to go for somewhere near your railway station. There are good hotels near all the major stations, including Euston and Kings Cross. That may be fine if you just want to get away back home the next morning but why not make a proper break out of it and stay in London for the day to see the sights? If you decide to go for a hotel further out because it is cheaper remember that you might have to spend the savings on black cabs or face the busy weekend tubes. That may be fine if you just want to get away back home the next morning but why not pack your dark glasses, be gentle with your hangover and make a proper break out of it? Stay in London for the day to see the sights and hit the shops. The hotels near the theatre are also handy for some of the best shops in London. If you’ve time check out the possibility of staying an extra night or two, it can be well worth it. priscilla queen of the dessert Who plays Priscilla? Well, actually she’s a bus! Priscilla Queen of the Dessert is the bus that takes Tick (Jason Donovan), Bernadette (Tony Sheldon) and Adam (Oliver Thornton), a glamorous Sydney-based drag act to the heart of the Australian outback. The adventures of the three friends on their battered old bus (Priscilla) as they search for love and friendship are full of laughter, tears and lots of mascarra! The trio end up finding more than they ever imagined and having lots of laughs along the way. Priscilla Trivia Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical had its world premiere in Sydney in October 2006, directed by Simon Phillips Since then over one million Australians have seen Priscilla Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical has grossed in more than £41 million making it the most successful Australian musical of all time (Name the others? Anyone?) Priscilla herself weighs almost 6 tonnes, has 3 internal lifts and is covered in 840 led lights. There are 20 full-scale production numbers in the show Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical has almost 500 costumes Over 100 wigs, 160 masks and over 150 pairs of specially made shoes are worn by the cast at each performance Almost 200 hats and head-dresses are worn at each performance, one containing 25 yellow rubber ducks, another with 75 butterflies, a third with an aquarium complete with fish! Times and dates Bookings are being taken through to the end of September 2009 but I think this feel-good show will run and run! Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 7.30pm Fridays at 5.15pm (from 8 May) & 8.30pm Saturdays at 2.30pm & 7.30pm Press Night Monday 23 March at 7pm There’s a VIP Gala Night on Tuesday 24 March at 7.30pm. ** book Priscilla Theatre Breaks **

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