By James Hadley in London
 
Interesting that not one but three of the big West End musical spectaculars doing great business despite the recession centre on drag performance.

First there was Broadway transfer 'Hairspray', then the Menier Chocolate Factory revival of the original breakthrough drag musical 'La Cage aux Folles' transferred to the West End and featured Graham Norton in the drag queen role. But more spectacular than both of those feelgood musicals put together is Priscilla - Queen of the Desert - the Musical, which made the leap from Sydney to London for its opening at the end of March.
 
I never made it to the Australian production, even when it came to Auckland. And, despite enjoying multiple viewings of the 1996 film when it came out, it took someone else organising a big group outing a group outing to lure me along to the London production. Shakespeare or Robert Lepage this certainly is not. But it's as frivolously entertaining, buoyantly spectacular and high energy as you could wish a musical to be. No wonder that even on a sunny midweek evening the sizeable Palace Theatre is still crammed full of audience. With the recession continuing to deepen, feelgood musicals continue to do brilliant business as the perfect antidote to the doldrums. And 'Priscilla' is the closest contemporary equivalent to the all singing, all dancing spectaculars of Busby Berkeley that kept them smiling through the Great Depression of the 'thirties.
 
But don't take my word for it; you can check out a trailer of the show on the homepage of its website. They also cornered Stephen Fry when he came to see the show and put a backstage interview of his impressions of the show onto uTube - celebrity endorsements of stage productions seems to be a popular way to eke out the publicity mileage for a new show.
 
You remember the Oscar winning innovation of the costumes in the film? Well the star of the production is in many ways the recreation of all those designs, plus loads of even more elaborate outfits. It's just like being at the Montana World of Wearable Arts. As in any good drag routine, the full cast are in a constant flux of costume changes, with visual gags like the sudden emergence of a silver spangled version of The Village People in one song, or the three backing singers descending from above in cockatoo costumes, complete with huge white wings and yellow mohawks. Another scene recreates the Las Vegas showgirl look of famous Australian drag act Les Girls, back when it was called 'female impersonation'. In fact, the show could be taken as a popular history of drag culture and performance, with the full array of drag approaches, including the more recent phenomenon of female performers taking on the trappings of drag to explore hyper-female personae.
 
While Jason Donovan is the box office star of the production, his onstage presence pales in contrast to his two co-stars, the hunky Oliver Thornton as camp-as-a-row-of-tents Felicia, and Tony Sheldon as transsexual Bernadette. Sheldon is the absolute star of the show, so much so that he takes the final bow, despite Donovan being the big star. I understand Sheldon originated the role in the Australian production, and played it when the production transferred to Auckland. As great as Terence Stamp was in the film, I think this is the more definitive interpretation of the role. Sheldon perfectly captures the vulnerability, thick skin, barbed tongue and romantic aspirations of the role. The humanity of the character provides what would otherwise be a rather superficial facade of glamour with depth and heart, and that's what prompts a standing ovation from the audience as he takes his bow.
 
But I should really be railing against yet another juke-box musical taking up a major West End venue for an inevitably long run. A large percentage of musicals showing in the West End are pieced together around the hit songs a band like Abba or Queen, and there's not a single original song in 'Priscilla'. This is true to the approach of the movie and drag culture in itself, so I shouldn't really complain, and it does ease the audience into immediate 'sing and clap along' fervour. The problem is: how can any newly written original musical hope to compete with this kind of pop culture pre-tested popularity ?
 
That's why I have the greatest of respect for a show like 'Les Miserables'. Now the longest running musical ever, having run continually for twenty-three years, it's true what the publicity says - it really is still just as fresh as on opening night. I recently got free tickets to attend with a friend who had never seen the show, and it moved us both to tears repeatedly. I had expected to find it a bit tired and overly-familiar, considering I'd seen the production twice before, most recently over ten years ago. Yet watching it a third time was again one of the most moving experiences I've ever had in the theatre, completely deserving of the rapturous standing ovation of its audience. It left you inspired with compassion and idealism, buoyed up with the rousing musicality and cathartic romanticism of it all. Whether it be this sort of high drama, or the razzle dazzle of 'Priscilla', it's easy to see why people will spend money they don't have in the middle of a recession to access these kind of renewing entertainment experiences.