Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Free Rain, The Q, 26 Apr--22 May, 2022

 

Stephan Elliot's 1994 film is probably the one that will wind up on his gravestone, for better or worse - his subsequent works have all fallen victim to the "Not as Good As Priscilla" curse, so he remains attached to one vibrant, exposing film about Australia in all its aspects, from innercity bitchery to the wide open spaces of Australia and the brutal prejudices that roam free out there, about personal connections that thrive despite the rough circumstances, and about the power of tinsel and feathers. 

The 2006 musical streamlines the plot, throws in more jokes and music from a wildly eclectic jukebox of popular culture (everything from Kylie and 70s disco divas to Grand Opera, Jerome Kern, and an outbreak of John Denver to kick off act two). It somehow all works reasonably well, if somewhat more crudely than the pretty crude original - there's a sense that whatever subtleties were in the original are being thrown out for more glitz and gags. But it certainly works as its own thing, bringing back memories and finding its own moments of warmth and even intimacy. 

Free Rain's production suffers very slightly from not having the mega-budget of the professional productions - drag on a budget is always a little rough (look at any design challenge on Drag Race) and when you're having to change costumes and makeup as frequently as this show does, even the most organised amateur company is going to get stretched (even if 75% of Adam's costumes are just sparkly hotpants). Still, this is a major achievement in production - Fiona Leach's costume team, Cameron Walter's Technical Direction, and the undoubted small army of dressers and assistants backstage mean the show flows almost flawlessly, assisted by a nicely varying set by R James Entertainment and great Projection Design from Arran McKenna of Happydance Creative.

The company are a skilled team - Jarrad West, despite doing the double-dipping of both directing and performing a lead role, never makes this feel like an act of ego run amuck or like he's been overdoing it - he's engaged, sings wonderfully, gives Bernadette the right mix of acid and integrity and is a solid mature centre to the team. Joe Dinn as Tick is polished and skilled. Garret Kelly as the bitchy twinky Adam is carelessly delightful, aggressively assertively claiming his space on stage. The three divas of Janie Lawson, Hanna Lance and Chelsea Haney sing up a storm in powerfully voiced classics across all of the score (even if there's a couple of points where they slip out of lighting). Dave Collins' Miss Understanding is a great old-style drag queen, rough yet glamorous. Pat Gallagher's Bob has a rough-as-guts gentle charm to him, and the guest appearance by Manny the Meerkat in the finale is appreciated. The powerfully voiced Steph Maclaine letting forth with a solo from "La Traviata" also deserves much acclaim, as does Steph Roberts for her twisted version of a disco classic and Cameron Taylor for leading the ensemble back into Act Two with a rousing hoedown.

Alexander Unikowski's band gives a polished power to the show, navigating the shifting genres of the score with aplomb. Michelle Heine's choreography combines class and cheese in abundance, as the show needs, never feeling like dance-for-dance's sake but always finding a reason to get the bodies moving.

In short, this is a fun, spectacular effort that rewards the watch with a lot to see, hear and enjoy. Great to see it finally happening.