PRISCILLA Is Still Colouring Our World

Priscilla has coloured my world with happiness all the way. With the green from the grass and the blue from the sky above, it has coloured my world and painted it with its love.

For those that aren't familiar with this iconic Australian musical; the story follows two drag queens and a transgender woman and their travels to perform a show at Alice Springs; a journey full of cheeky one-liners, sexual innuendos and is non-stop disco classics. It's a journey of self-discovery, with acceptance at its heart.

I'd had the sheer luck of seeing this dazzling musical twice; once as a birthday present at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne and today, at the Lyric Theatre in Brisbane and it's truly been the adventure of a lifetime. The set, the costumes, the choreography, the casting.... it's spectacular. Directed by the formidable Simon Phillips, the cast features Tony and Olivier nominated actor Tony Sheldon has returned to reprise his original role of Bernadette, David Harris (Miss Saigon, Wicked) as Tick and Euan Doige (Les Misérables, Kinky Boots) as the flamboyant and the equally sassy as witty, Felicia.

If Bernadette did a stand up a comedy show, I'd be there. Her witty one lines and sense of humour throughout the play had me practically roaring in my seat. Euan Doige's Felicia was vocally (and physically) sublime; who captivated the audience with every sequin, wig and heel. His rendition of 'Hot Stuff' has been in my head on repeat all day and I have no qualms with that. And just before that, he sang an operatic ballad from La traviata suspended from a stiletto suspended from mid-air on top of a bus and both looked and sounded like an angel sent from heaven. Harris, Sheldon and Doige had fantastic chemistry on stage and the love between the characters showed in each number; none more so than 'We Belong', which was so heartfelt and raw. I love it when theatre takes use of their ensemble and provides them with a plethora of opportunities in which to be showcased on stage, and Priscilla did just that. And boy, what a talented ensemble. 'It's Raining Men' and 'I Will Survive' were two of the crowd favourites and 'Thank God I'm a Country Boy' was a hoot and just made me feel irrationally happy.

This show has over 500 award-winning costumes designed by the Oscar-winning creative team, Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel from the original film, with each costume having its own character; whether it be an actor wearing a massive feather turban packed with feather boas or a thong dress. With there being eight numbers in the first twenty minutes, it's crazy to think about the amount of time and effort the costume team have put into the show, but it certainly pays off tenfold. Something I loved as an audience member was that the colour palette(s) of the costumes always complimented the rich set design. From the stunning design of the spinning bus to the backdrop of 'A Fine Romance', to do the road kill signs (and the road kill); every set transition was seamless.

If you're looking for some hot stuff in your evening or maybe you're just a girl that wants to have fun, then you should head down to the Lyric Theatre before November 4. This is a bus ride that you do not want to miss out on.

Rating: 5 stars

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