Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical (Kinver Light Operatic Society)
If a trip across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in around two hours (which is nothing like the reality of thirty hours) with some amazing songs, performances and comedy is for you then I would recommend a trip to Kinver High School to join Kinver Light Operatic Society (KLOS) with their production of the now classic, Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical.
Three Drag Queens in a bus (the aforementioned Priscilla), face some challenges and probably get away with far too much on a frivolous and occasionally downright licentious journey.
At this point I would normally dive into the performances of the three leading characters and you can be assured that I will but, first let me mention a couple of individual characters with just one song (admittedly a couple of cracking tunes) to do their thing with. Firstly Claire Jackson as Shirley, bar owner in historic Broken Hill, not sure what is historic about it but, her performance of 'I Love the Nightlife' will certainly go down in history and latterly Jennie Wall as Cynthia doing unspeakable things with ping-pong balls to the tune of 'Pop Muzik' another moment it will be hard to erase from the memory, both pieces of performance gold.
Let's revert back now to the lead performers, Ricky Houlston-Dowell is perfectly cast as Tick/Mitzi, a controlled portrayal of a character with secrets that he's trying to come to terms with and a powerful, clear vocal, his programme write-up suggests he found this role challenging, looked pretty natural to me and really well played.
Dan Wright's Adam/Felicia is a joy, sometimes flirtatious, always outrageous and played with vigour and energy across the gamut of emotions which is a must for this role. Obviously a seasoned performer as a slight microphone glitch in the 'We Belong' number didn't phase him at all.
As an impartial reviewer I really shouldn't have favourites but, there is something engaging, amusing and distinctly individual about Brian Ashmead-Siers as Bernadette, the 'mother' of the group but, with a caustic wit that could floor a missile at five paces, if as per his write-up it is fourteen years since his last musical, I suggest he doesn't leave such a big gap before the next one.
Got a feeling of deja vu with Adam Chester as Bob (think I have reviewed him in the same part before), extraordinary mechanic and the guy you want around to stop the 'crud being thrown-up into your motor' (doesn't have quite the same impact without the Australian accent) on a long journey. Sadly not on the journey but, belting-out Tina Turner's 'What's Love Got to Do with It?' with more than the average amount of sass is Scott Denton as Miss Understanding.
If you need a trio of awesome voices to ace a few jukebox hits and move the story along, you need look no further than Nina Best, Sophie Bishop and Attiye Passey as The Diva's if they don't release a few tracks in their own right, they probably should and the world is missing something.
Holding-up the youth end of the cast on this occasion is Oscar Wilkinson as Tick's son Benji, obvious chemistry between the two for a short but, vital scene that cements Tick's role as a father if not true husband to mother Marion (played by Charlotte Wood).
To pull off a big production like this it's always a team effort and pulling the strings with great effect are Director/Choreographer Sam Houlston-Dowell (also getting on stage in many of the dance numbers) and Musical Director Nick Jeavons, ably assisted by Philippa Bishop (Assistant Director) and Tracey Thompson (Assistant Choreographer).
Continuing its journey across the Outback, grab your sequins and feathers before catching a performance of this entertainment spectacular that runs until 13th May 2023.
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