Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Musical Headed for Bway?

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:18am

The New York Post's Michael Riedel reports that the hit Australian musical adaptation of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert may trail feathers to Broadway or the West End.

Citing the high commercial possibilities of the show, Riedel writes: "Australian producers have begun laying the groundwork for London and Broadway. With 23 tons of scenery, 514 costumes and enough glitter to entomb Liberace, a Broadway production could cost as much as $15 million, industry sources estimate."

Last fall, the musical version of "Priscilla" - directed by Simon Phillips - opened in a $6.5 million production in Sydney. The musical is based on Stephen Elliott's 1994 film--in which two drag queens and a transsexual man hop aboard the bus of the title perform a cabaret show in the middle of the Australian outback. Priscilla Queen of the Desert starred Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, and featured such 70s disco classics as "I Will Survive" and "Dancing Queen" - some of which can also be heard in the stage musical.

"Priscilla" features a book co-written by Elliott and Allan Scott; Riedel mentions that rewrites for an upcoming Broadway or London version are likely, as the musical's book "assumes the audience knows the movie extremely well" in its current form. As the film is more familiar to Australian audiences than to Americans, the Post scribe suggests that Douglas Carter Beane (Xanadu) or Harvey Fierstein (La Cage aux Folles book) retool the musical before it moves to other shores.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=20218

....God. I hope this doesn't happen.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:26am

From what we have heard ( downunder ) that London's West End will be first and if it works there, it should be on Broadway 2009/2010...Now can anyone say Hugh Jackman!

[alterego]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:43am

NathanLaneStalker - the rewrites or the show?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:48am

I really hope Priscilla and Witches of Eastwick finally make it to Broadway. A production of Strictly Ballroom would be nice, too.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:58am

Its coming to London for sure as the producers of the show have already been selecting venues.

They are probably thinking its safer bringing it here since Dirty Dancing has had such a huge response here, broadway is also a lot more fickle than the West End

Posted: 7/25/07 at 11:26am

Hey, if Xanadu can be a hit.....

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 8:18pm

"NathanLaneStalker - the rewrites or the show?"

The show. I never liked the movie...but like JoeKv said, if Xanadu can be a hit.....

[alterego]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 9:07pm

The show has a different "feel" to the movie.

I can understand the show travelling to London first. Firstly, it would be cheaper to mount there and secondly I think that audiences in London would take to it more readily.

[dramarama2]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 5:41am

The show is 5001 times better than the movie. I found the show a lot more poignant and less emotional. But of course there are some parts in the show that lack emotion. The 2nd half has quite a few structural problems, but makes up for it with one the funniest joke in musical theatre history (Not wanting to spoil too much, but it involves a hillarious song break into "MacArthur Park").
I don't think you have to have seen the movie to get it. The only reason I can think it would be revised is Americans won't get it. Sorry if I offend, but the show will have to be dumbed down, much like The Boy From Oz.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 6:04am

"The only reason I can think it would be revised is Americans won't get it. Sorry if I offend, but the show will have to be dumbed down, much like The Boy From Oz."


Let the Bitch Fight begin!

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 7:51am

UGH! Not all Americans are ignorant Bush-lovers. Leave us alone, I'm very well educated. I watch BBC America. I see some of the people you have, too.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 8:37am

I think what Dramarama2 is trying to say ( just not in the right way ), is that a lot of the humour is very broad Australian and sometimes that may not travel as well.

But than again the film was a hit state side back when it was first released, so with only the smallest amount of tweaking, there should be no reason why this would not work.

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 10:29am

I don't mind that sentiment, I just think use of the phrase "dumbed down" is a little much.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 11:10am

Here is the initial Riedel article that the BWW article refers to:
---------------------------------------
A few seasons ago, Hugh Jackman flounced his way to Tony glory as Peter Allen in the Down Under import "The Boy From Oz."

Now comes a stage adaptation of the 1994 movie "The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert" that's so heavy on sequins it outshines the Southern Cross.

Local critics praised this lavish, $6.5 million spectacle when it opened here last fall. Since then, it's caught on with disco-loving straight women, ages 20-40. They're repeat customers whose enjoyment of the musical increases in direct proportion to the number of "Priscilla-tails" (cosmopolitans in glow-in-the-dark martini glasses) they consume before, during and after the show.

They have one hell of a time.

"Priscilla" is aimed squarely at the "Mamma Mia!" market, which is about as lucrative as it gets. The ABBA musical has grossed $2 billion around the world.

"Priscilla" ain't in that league yet, but its Australian producers have begun laying the groundwork for London and Broadway.

With 23 tons of scenery, 514 costumes and enough glitter to entomb Liberace, a Broadway production could cost as much as $15 million, industry sources estimate.

"Priscilla" follows two drag queens and a transvestite from Sydney as they drive through the Outback in a bus christened Priscilla.

Written and directed by Stephan Elliott, the movie starred Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Ter-

ence Stamp and made clever use of such '70s tunes as "I Love the Nightlife," "I Will Survive" and "Dancing Queen."

The stage version uses many of the same songs to further, sometimes cheekily, sometimes clunkily, the plot.

There's no ABBA, however, since Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus are said to despise the movie, which mocks their music.

More...
AUSSIES MAY DRAG 'PRISCILLA' TO B'WAY

[DMsquared2]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 2:46pm

I love the 1994 film but I'm not crazy about this musical adaptation. The gimmick in the film is that they are lip-syncing "I Will Survive", etc. I think it only makes sense if a fresh new score is written.

[alterego]

Posted: 8/14/07 at 9:49am

And that won't be happening.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 8/14/07 at 11:48am

"The only reason I can think it would be revised is Americans won't get it"

This AMERICAN saw it 3 times while I was in Sydney and I SO got it !!! Tired of people thinking Americans don't get things. Yes there are some words that us Americans don't use like "root" ie.."why don't you go root some road kill" which I found out is the same as "shag", but other than that..I understood every word and reference. Americans will LOVE this show just the way it is..no doubt in my mind.

[paradox_error]

Posted: 8/14/07 at 6:09pm

Oh Boobsie, I had to explain at LEAST half the jokes to you! :-P

Honestly, I'm a pretty cynical critic, and I detest the jukebox genre, but this is an incredible show. It doesn't feel like a jukebox; most of the songs are well-integrated into the plot. There are many homages to the film, but it also develops its own identity, with many characters not found in the film... A greek chorus of three girls is used to excellent effect; they were among my favorite characters.

I really hope as many people as possible will get to see this wonderful show! Yes, it will need some rewrites, but I can honestly say that a lot would have to go wrong for it not to be a HIT!

[kellybean2]

Posted: 8/14/07 at 7:27pm

The word around the industry here is that it would need so much rewriting for a Broadway audience that it would lose too much of the flavor.

It's likely not going to make it to these shores.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 8/14/07 at 9:22pm

I think here in the UK we get the Australian humor a lot more due to the fact that we have a lot of Australian program's which are huge here (Neighbors, Home and Away, Kath and Kim etc)

[kellybean2]

Posted: 8/14/07 at 10:28pm

Honestly, that's not the only problem. The show is hugely expensive to mount, and it's not even doing well in Australia. To bring it over here, they'd at least have to have a mega-star or two. And even then. It's just not a viable investment.