"Priscilla Queen Of The Desert" by Kristian Thomas Company.

Duchess Theatre.

I could write a really short review and say "one word", "three syllables"............ Fab U Lous, and leave it at that, but whenever have I used one word when a couple of thousand will do?

Welcome to camp Priscilla as the big camper bus rolls into Long Eaton, and it doesn't get camper than this brilliantly fun musical.

Mitzi Mitosis, whose real name is Anthony "Tick" Belrose, is performing in a club when his estranged wife, Marion, calls for a favour, which involves performing for her business in Alice Springs. At first Tick is reluctant to do. After Marion explains that part of the reason she's asking is because their now eight-year-old son, Benji, wants to meet his father, he changes his mind and gets an act together to do what Marion asks.

Along with fellow performers, Bernadette and Adam, he sets off in Priscilla, the ”boogie bus”, to perform for Marion, but all does not go to plan and they encounter some interesting characters on their journey. Adam and Bernadette don’t get on, so there are plenty of fireworks in store.

This musical, for anyone who has not seen it before, is a double edged sword because while there’s dollops of fun and fabulousness in the characters and songs, not to mention the costumes, there’s also a touch of sadness threaded through the story. 

Tick is played by Mark Coffey-Bainbridge, who is no stranger now to heels having performed in them in "Kinky Boots" last year. Our first vision of Tick is in the highest heeled boots I've seen outside an Elton John wardrobe. I've now seen Mark on stage for quite a few years and in various roles. He has always looked at ease in every role, and this is another role where he also looks completely at ease; I can only put it down to the brilliant, chameleonic character he is. His role is a fun part, but also an emotive part, and both emotions he conveys marvellously, especially in the ballads "I Say A Little Prayer" and "Always On My Mind", which he sings to his son, Benji. Plus I think that this is the first time that I've seen Mark without facial hair!

Adam/Felicia is played by Lu Anthony. Like Mark, they morph into the character, and what I love about Felicia, they are bitchy, they are diva, they have feelings, and a Shakespearian quote from "Merchant Of Venice" and Shylock comes to mind. You see Shylock for what he is on the outside but he states "If you prick us, do we not bleed", showing a sensitive under belly to the tough exterior, and Lu shows this in the character perfectly. 

Lu is a fantastic dancer, and even when there are other dancers on stage with them, you simply can not take your eyes of Lu. They have such energy on stage and they give everything as an actor, singer and dancer, as well as a magnetic performer.

Bernadette is played by Dave Covey, and a completely different character from his last role in "Sweet Charity". he is almost unrecognisable. We first see Bernadette as she is grieving for her recently deceased partner, which led to the wonderfully ironic funeral to the tune of "Don't Leave Me This Way". Bernadette has style, class and grace, and her clashes with Felicia are classic camp comedy. Bernadette's back story is revealed throughout and is sensitively done.

There is a section where we look back at Bernadette in her younger days, singing "A Fine Romance". the younger Bernadette is played by an actor to watch out for, Max Fuller. I saw Max playing Jamie New in KTco's "Everybody's Talking About Jamie", in which he shone. Max is a natural dancer and a wonderful young actor. Regrettably I didn't get chance to say hello afterwards; maybe next time.

Miss Understanding is played by David Page, and while I've loved other versions of Miss Understanding's take on Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It", David made this role different as he did not try to copy La Diva Turner, he did his own version of the song, and still made the commentary extremely funny. Plus he has great legs!

Marion is played by Louise Grantham-Lang, and while we don't get to see a lot of this character, it's a pinnacle character who brings Tick, Adam and Bernadette to perform, possibly their greatest gig.

Benji is played by two of KTco's Intermediate students, Wilbert and Henry; on Sunday the role was played by Wilbert Jay-Leysa, who has stage presence in bucket loads, and has a great sense of rhythm.

Bob, the mechanic, who saves the day by getting Priscilla back on the road, and finds love on the way is played by Giles Pettit. We get to hear Giles' powerful vocals, which are operatic to say the least.

The Divas are Samantha Hedley, Lauren Polimos, Natasha Cartwright, Helen Perry, Ella Greenwood, Adela Green and Tiffany Jackson. What a powerful set of vocals, and what a performance from all. Plus check out those incredibly glamorous costumes!

The ensemble consist of Betsymae Kirkland-Ball, Eva Shephard, Ellie Simmonds, Bethany Wear, Jack Eccles, Ben Hale, Louise Grantham-Lang, Bethany Neville, Megan Singleton, Reema Rose, Sandy C Lane, Poppy Cook, David Page, Louis Barnes-Cupit, Max Fuller and Charlotte Carridice.

Sandy Lane also plays Shirley, the owner of the bar, and shows off her comic side. I actually only recognised Sandy because of her height because the make up was exceedingly good, and with the Aussie accent, I would not have guessed it was her.

This fast-moving show is directed by Alysha Gomes, and the second show she has directed in two weeks; she was also the Director for "Six - Teen Edition" last week at The Duchess for Kristian Thomas Company. The standard in this show is as high as in last week's show. All I need to state is that this show, on it's opening night, received a full standing ovation. A mirror of the appreciation from all of last week's shows, so I predict that every show this coming week will also receive the same. An obvious reflection of not just the cast but of all of the Production team.

Choreographer for "Priscilla" is Kristian Cunningham. This is a choreographer's show, and Kristian once more has risen to the occasion in this field.

Musical Director is Sam Hedley. The arrangements of some of these songs have been dissected and pieced together again, and you get to hear a beautiful new side of certain songs.

If you can think of the best hen night party soundtrack, then you’re getting close to the soundtrack for this road trip musical. I can guarantee that if your toes are not tapping and you don’t feel like chucking your hand bag down and dancing round it, then you re truly not of the living. You’ll know every single song, “It’s Raining Men”, “Finally”, “I Will Survive”, ”Don’t Leave Me This Way”, “Venus”, “Colour My World”, “Hot Stuff” , “Boogie Wonderland”, “Go West”, “Shake Your Groove Thing” as well as a lovely version of “Always On My Mind/I Say A Little Prayer” and Cyndi Lauper's "True Colours". I just wanted to party on at the end of this show because the soundtrack is incredibly infective. 

The amazing costumes, some of which have been hired in, some being the work of Jan Brockhurst and Marion Fisher. There are no words to describe these costumes if you've not seen the show before. they are outrageous, as are the wigs and make up. They are so colourful, almost as if there had been an explosion in a paint factory. I loved them all.

The sound design and operation is by Dave Dallard with Jack Clark, a pair who are fast becoming sound superheroes. Crisp and clear and while there were a few instances that I personally would have liked the volume increasing on the mics a tad, I couldn't find anything to gripe about in this area....again!

Lighting design by Stephen Greatorex. The Duchess Theatre's lighting has really been expanded and you now get a real flashy lighting design. As with last week's "Six", the lighting brought the stage to life, making you feel as if you were in a classy cabaret club, flooding the place with colour.

"Priscilla" is a heart-warming tale of courage, self-acceptance, and new beginnings, all delivered with a ton of attitude. But let me come back to the music for a second. You can hear a song delivered and enjoy it. You can then hear it sung with a different arrangement, in a different situation and sung by the opposite sex of what you're used to, and the message comes across very different. That is what I love about this musical. It makes you think about the lyrics, how it is delivered and by whom and can turn those feelings and meanings on their head.

Listen to Cyndi Lauper's "True Colours" in the different context in this musical and it will have you welling up. The same with "Always On My Mind" and "I Say A Little Prayer".

Despite all the laughs though, there is the very real message surrounding homophobia and bigotry, which is eventually overcome by tolerance and compassion. But it still reminds us that the LGBTQ community still have a battle on their hands with small minded people. Being different is something that should be celebrated and not hidden or beaten down.

You will leave this show on a high, thanks to the story and the soundtrack, but also thanks to the high energy feel from the whole cast and the talent of every person on this stage.

"Priscilla Queen Of The Desert" is at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 6 April and there is limited availability of tickets so buy them now and be part of this party on stage while you have the chance you galllahs!

Pictures by Betty Gamble Photography.