Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Last Monday we saw a pre-opening performance of the musical, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Based on the 1994 Australian film of the same name, which was written and directed by Stephen Elliott, the story relates the adventures of two young drag queens and a former drag queen, now a transsexual woman, who travel from Sydney to Alice Springs, in the heart of the Australian Outback, in a bus that they’ve named Priscilla. In the film, the three principals lip-sync pop classics, but in the musical they actually sing the songs, also pop classics, only some of which, however, were in the original version.

In the musical, co-written by Stephen Elliott and Allan Scott, the story provides a thin excuse for numerous extravagant song and dance numbers played in High Camp style, with costumes more outrageous (and much funnier) than even those of the most over the top Ziegfeld Follies production. But whereas the Follies provided a showcase for feminine sex appeal, the musical displays the sculpted bodies of young beefcake.

The film was memorable for its sympathetic portrayal of LGBTs as well as for the remarkable performance of Terrance Stamp, who played Bernadette, the middle-aged transsexual. He brought a depth to her character that made her the heart of the film. That he could do so was a tribute not only to his ability as an actor but also to the script. It gave him the chance to shine. In the musical, the script does not give the three principals such an opportunity. They produce one-liners and provide excuses for elaborate song and dance routines, but their characters are much thinner and less believable than in the film. It doesn’t matter, though, because the song and dance numbers are such great fun. The musical is an amusing spectacle from start to finish. That is enough of an achievement. If you expect believable characters as well, you’ll be disappointed.

The film was criticized for its portrayal of a mail-order Filipina bride, who, it was charged, embodied the worst national stereotype. As in the film, her musical counterpart shoots ping-pong balls from her vagina, but the musical’s character is so extravagant and the situation in which she finds herself so ridiculous that it’s doubtful that anyone could take her seriously enough to be offended.

That’s probably also true of one of the principals, the obnoxious young drag queen, whose flamboyant flouncing is not likely to reinforce anti-gay sentiment because it's hard to believe he represents a real person. But perhaps it's of no consequence whether the character is believable or not. When a majority of Americans can view same-sex marriage as acceptable, as is the case today, the civil rights of LGBTs in America, while far from assured, are more secure than they once were. The civil rights of LGBTs constitute perhaps the last of the great civil rights causes in America. Progress towards that goal has been surprisingly rapid during the past ten or twenty years, but there is still much prejudice to be overcome. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert won’t help in that regard, but why expect it to do more than entertain us? It does that brilliantly.