Photo Coverage: PRISCILLA Meets the Press; Show Opens 5/9

Co-written by Oliver Oliveros

Manila, Philippines--The main cast of the Philippine premiere of Sydney-London's West End-Broadway musical PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT: Leo Tavarro Valdez (Tick/Mitzi), Jon Santos (Bernadette), Red Concepcion (Adam, Felicia), Michael Williams (Miss Understanding), Bituin Escalante (Diva), Lani Ligot (Diva), Timmy Canlas (Diva), and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (Marion), donned for the first time their '80s retro costumes, mainly designed by Edgar San Diego, before the members of the press Thursday, April 3, at Taps, Genting Club, Maxims Hotel.

Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott's PRISCILLA , QUEEN OF THE DESERT, based on the 1994 sleeper hit "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," is Resorts World Manila's (RWM) fifth theatrical production right on the heels of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella." The production, helmed by Jaime del Mundo ("The Producers"), is set to open Friday, May 9, at Newport Performing Arts Theatre.

Inday Echevaria ("Miss Saigon") is musical director; Nancy Crowe ("Bluebird of Happiness") is choreographer; Shakira Villa-Symes ("Party Pilipinas") is lighting designer; Rards Corpus ("Cinderella") is sound designer; Jo Tecson ("The King and I') is set designer; and Myrene Santos ("The Sound of Music") is makeup and hair designer.

PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT tells the highly-entertaining and heart-warming friendship among three flamboyant characters: Bernadette, Mitzi, and Felicia. These men travel across the Australian outback on a pink bus named Priscilla, which literally lights up the road with its strobing LED light finish that could possibly rival those bright neon lights in Times Square!

The show features familiar pop songs aplenty, including Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It?," Village People's "Go West," Alicia Bridges' "I Love The Nightlife," Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," Dionne Warwick's "I Say A Little Prayer," The Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men," Peaches and Herb's "Shake Your Groove Thing," and two Kylie Minogue medleys, featuring her hits "The Locomotion," "Can't Get You Out Of My Head," "Confide In Me," "Come Into My World," and "Spinning Around." The musical had its world premiere in Sydney, Australia in 2006; it made its Broadway debut in 2011. Hit songs by Madonna, such as "Material Girl," "Holiday," and "Like A Virgin," which are more familiar with American audiences, were performed during the show's Broadway run, March 2011 to June 2012.

For more information and tickets, visit rwmanila.com or call (632) 908-8833.

Photos: Jory Rivera

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