Orpheus Musical Theatre Society have brought to the stage another light-hearted musical, doing what they do best to a very receptive audience. The Meridian Theatres-based Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a piece of light fare that captures the cult status of the original film, but with its sometimes-dicey sexual and racial politics, the show seems like a bit of an odd choice in 2019.

The campy show directed by Derek Eyamie and Shaun Toohey is a fun romp, but a bit shallow. The lead actors Andy Allen-McCarthy, Toohey, and Eyamie know how to please the crowd with their extravagant pop song numbers as the larger-than-life drag queens with attitudes and costumes to match. The chemistry between the three and with other central characters, like actor Lawrence Evenchick’s delightful Bob, is also solid. In a show leaning heavily into campiness, the costuming stood in a league of its own. Colourful and over-the-top, co-costume designers Guylaine Roy and Mélanie Evans created a vibrant and hilarious series of costumes that had the audience laughing in their seats.

The large ensemble kept the party atmosphere going with their humorous song-and-dance numbers and were a particular hit in their gaudy costumes. It’s hard not to love a bunch of dancing pink paintbrushes, though there were several scenes where the choreography could have been tighter. The pit orchestra was tight and had obviously worked hard to put on a solid performance. The set, co-designed by Jenn Donnelly and Steve Jones, is also a show-stealer, particularly the detail put into Priscilla the camper van, complete with seating space, and which opens up in the final scene to reveal a beautifully-painted Ayers Rock. …

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