Review: PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT at Mānoa Valley Theatre

There are certain shows that take on an extra layer of potency when experienced during momentous times, coloring the experience in unique ways: Fiddler on the Roof during Yom HaShoah, Assassins during election season, La Cage Aux Folles during Pride, or Come From Away in September. I am happy to be able to add another to that list, courtesy of Mānoa Valley Theatre: experiencing Priscilla Queen of the Desert during Transgender Awareness Week (November 13-19). As it is with many shows spotlighting the LGBTQIA+ community, this show is a mixture of both unbridled queer joy and a sobering reminder of the violence and emotional burdens they shoulder on a daily basis. But as it is with all shows featuring a disco score, the final takeaway is one of love, celebration, togetherness, and dazzling costumes (Emily Lane). As director and co-choreographer David Weaver states in the program, this show is a reminder that “love—in all its forms—is sacred”, and that sentiment hit especially deeply over this opening weekend, further reminding us that the support we show  our trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming friends in the show needs to continue when the curtain goes down, too.

Anchoring this visually stunning production are the three Australian drag queens on the road trip of a lifetime through the Outback, each with their own personal journeys of self-discovery and acceptance to pursue. Andrew Simmons leads the pack as Tick (Mitzi Mitosis when she’s in drag), a consummate entertainer torn between the joy of entertaining and self-expression, and the perceived shame of being an absentee father in a wig and heels. Mr. Simmons navigates these extremes with delicacy, nuance, and flair, from the heartbreaking “I Say a Little Prayer” to the show-stopping “MacArthur Park”. Hot-headed youngblood Adam (a.k.a. Felicia Jollygoodfellow) is superbly played by Henry Hawes, strutting his stuff and causing havoc in a way that only a nascent queen can. While he and the male ensemble bring down the house in “Venus”, it is his silent emotional journey in “Sempra Libera” (phenomenally sung by Diva Marie Chiyo Staples) that left me speechless. Rounding out the trio is Greg Zane as Bernadette, the grande dame of the group, former superstar of legendary drag show “Les Girls”, and the only one whose female persona is not a costume. Mr. Zane imbues Bernadette with the gravitas and poise that only someone who has lived authentically and survived to tell the tale can possess, expertly dishing out cutting verbal barbs that would make Miranda Priestly clutch her pearls. He shines in the iconic tête-á-tête with the hard-nosed backwater bartender Shirley (Susan Hawes in a tour de force performance and a mullet that is a character in its own right), yet also lets Bernadette’s fierce protective nature shine in “Hot Stuff”. The flashback sequence of “A Fine Romance”, featuring Chev-Vaughn Lum as Bernadette in her showgirl prime was another standout, a nice break from the disco fever of the rest of the show, and proof that class never goes out of style.

Speaking of disco fever, choreographers Ahnya Chang and David Weaver are to be commended for the dance marathon they have bestowed upon this talented cast. The ensemble packs the small stage, bedecked in everything from leather harnesses to paint cans to cakes to tourist garb, and they look like they’re having the time of their lives in every number. I was especially impressed by the creativity on display in “Color My World”, “Go West”, and “MacArthur Park”, though my favorite choreography of the evening hands down is “Pop Muzik” featuring Nikki Bagaw as “former” go-go girl Cynthia sporting lime-green fishnets, perfectly-timed splits, and scathing Tagalog. In terms of vision throughout, Ms. Chang and Mr. Weaver have certainly captured the rough aesthetic of the 1994 movie on which the show is based, echoing its philosophy that whatever is lacking in polish is more than made up for in heart.