Priscilla fit for a queen

After much anticipation it is finally here. Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert: The Musical officially opened on Saturday night at the Lyric Theatre to rave reviews. With such a huge build-up many of the audience members had very high expectations of the production.

And judging from the many people I spoke to (including quite a few miserable old sods who never like anything), Priscilla surpassed all the hype.

I have an inside man/ woman, Vanity Faire, working on the production as one of the leading make-up artists, so I was lucky to get tickets to Wednesday night’s preview.

Along with a handful of uncross-dressed cross-dressers, Dallas, Kitty, Beyonce, Mamma Shirl and Minnie, I settled in to be amazed. We were one of the few preview audiences who were lucky enough to have the show’s bus operating for almost all of the show (just one breakdown), so our imagination didn’t have to be stretched too much.

We’ve all heard Cleo Coup?as a fabulous role. God knows she’s told everyone. And she is absolutely fabulous -“ audiences were rolling in the aisles at her Tina Turner opening song.

One showgirl who seemed to sneak under the radar was the always glamorous Freeda Corsett. Many would remember her from shows at Arq and the Imperial Hotel. Freeda spins and twirls her way around the stage like magic, and I shed a tear of pride in one scene where she truly shines.

As for the leads, I have not really worked with or had much to do with Mitzi (Flick) but I have known Daniel (Felicia) for many, many years, and loved him the whole time.

And we all remember my stellar performance with Tony (Bernadette) at DIVA 2005. Tony, you are amazing. My heart filled with pride every time I saw a familiar face on stage, whether it was Cleo or Freeda or sexy dancer Mark.

As one of the famous Les Girls told me recently after seeing a preview, It’s the most fabulous drag show -“ with a budget she had ever seen, and she assured me she had seen quite a few, after almost 25 years performing. If you do not have your tickets yet, get them.

EYESPY As the old saying goes, it’s not happening until it happens to you. Early on Monday morning Courtney Act was mugged on the corner of Crown and Burton Streets, dressed as a guy at the time.

After a wait of two hours at the police station, a report was finally taken. Don’t forget, always be aware of your surroundings and never walk anywhere by yourself.