Priscilla Queen of the Desert – New Wimbledon Theatre and Touring

Rosie Glossop, Claudia Kariuki and Aiesha Pease in Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the New Wimbledon Theatre, London and Touring

Priscilla Queen of the Desert continues at New Wimbledon Theatre, London until 12 October 2019, then tours until 23 May 2020.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

The third UK tour of Priscilla is in full swing, with 22 more ports of call after Wimbledon, and if you love colour, classic pop, over-the-top costumes, wild hair, sequins and bawdy humour, it is all of those and more.

There are a few serious moments, notably when homophobic ignoramuses daub “Get out faggots” on the side of the drag queens’ touring bus Priscilla when the show hits the desert.

So, laughs apart and outrageous one-liners unsuitable for repetition on a fine family website, the sharp script, by Stephan Elliott, is also a plea for tolerance, particularly when there are members of the LGBTQ+ community in many countries still being prosecuted for who they love.

Australian Elliott directed the 1994 movie which spawned this jukebox musical. First seen in Sydney in 2006, Priscilla had a long run in the West End from 2009, hit Broadway in 2011, toured the UK in 2013 and 2015 and now, in 2019, is heading for a May 2020 finale.

The star name in this revival is Holby City actor turned Strictly Come Dancing winner Joe McFadden, the Glaswegian who partnered Katya Jones to glitterball glory two years ago.

Here he plays Tick who rejoices in the wonderful drag name of Mitzi Mitosis, though matched in exotic alias by flamboyant partner Adam (Nick Hayes) who performs as Felicia JollyGoodFellow.

Tick has a wife and son back home, but is scared to go back because he doesn’t want his boy, who he has never seen, to know about his “other” life. He does meet little Benji at the end and, wouldn’t you just know it, the lad isn’t fazed in the slightest.

They and transgender Bernadette (Miles Western, first rate) are taking their show, via Priscilla, to a casino up north to Alice Springs where the country folk are less broad-minded but are eventually won over.

Bernadette finds an admirer in bearded mechanic Bob (Daniel Fletcher in terrific voice) who leaves his wife Cynthia (Jacqui Sanchez) for her, but not before Cynthia gives us an eye-popping version of the 1979 hit ‘Pop Musik’ complete with ping-pong balls popping out of an unexpected orifice.

That is just one of 30 big-production numbers, some so good, ‘A Fine Romance’ and ‘Thank God I’m a Country Boy’, that we get them twice.

It is a feast for pop fans to hear classics from the last century like ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’, ‘Say a Little Prayer For Me’, ‘Colour My World’ and inevitably ‘I Will Survive’, all enthusiastically performed, mostly by the larger-than-life backing trio of divas (Aiesha Pease, Rosie Glossop and Claudia Kariuki all sparkly and brilliantly OTT).

There’s a touching, tender moment with the anthemic ‘We Belong’, the Pat Benatar hit from 1984, and in a breakthrough for culture vultures even an aria from La Traviata. Kevin Yates also rates a mention as drag hostess Miss Understanding.

Director Ian Talbot had production help from Jason Donovan, the original Tick, and musical director Sean Green and his merry band of seven clearly relish having a riot of iconic songs to play.

But I didn’t think McFadden quite captured the outrageous side of his character and not all the choreography hit the mark. It wasn’t La Cage Aux Folles or even Kinky Boots but it was Priscilla loud and proud – and Entertainment with a capital E.

Jeremy Chapman