PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT Speeds Into the Patchogue Theatre

Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical opened at Patchogue Theatre presented by The Gateway on July 20 and will run through August 6. Tickets start at $59. For tickets, contact the Box Office at (631) 286-1133 or visit the website at www.TheGateway.org.

The Gateway will open the Long Island premiere of the acclaimed musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert on July 20, 2016 at Patchogue Theatre. Adapted from the 1994 Academy Award winning film The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the musical is written by Stephan Elliot and Alan Scott and is the most successful Australian musical of all time, and its successful West End and Broadway runs were widely acclaimed by critics and audiences alike.

The Gateway production will star Jarrod Emick ("Tick/Mitzi"). Mr Emick is a Tony Award, Drama Desk and Theatre World Award winner for his role "Joe Hardy" in the 1994 Broadway Revival of Damn Yankees. His additional original cast Broadway productions include The Full Monty, The Boy from Oz, Ring of Fire and the West End premiere of The Rocky Horror Show. William Selby ("Bernadette") is a veteran actor and director of Off Broadway's Forbidden Broadway and most recently appeared in Laughing Matters, Vol 5 at Florida Studio Theatre. He appeared in the NY workshop of Finding Nemo and appeared regionally in South Pacific, Barrymore,and The Presidents. Matthew Marks (Adam/Felicia) joins the company on hiatus from Broadway's The Book of Mormon. He also appeared on Broadway in West Side Story and the Broadway National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof (Fyedka). The three portray the trio of friends, on a road trip of a lifetime, who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship in the middle of the Australian outback. They end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed.

Bob will be played by Mitch Poulos who appeared in the Broadway tour and Canadian Production of Billy Elliot the Musical (Big Davey). The three Divas will be played by Coleen Sexton (Gateway's Lady of the Lake in 2011's Spamalot,Broadway's Jekyll and Hyde, National Tours of Wicked as Elphaba, Legally Blondeas Brooke Wyndham and Chicago), Deb Walton (Broadway's Pajama Game,National Tours of South Pacific, Annie Get Your Gun and Chicago), and Lisa Helmi-Johanson (New York's Avenue Q, and regionally in Waterfall at The 5th Avenue Theater, 4,000 Miles at St Louis Rep and Taming of the Shrew at Virginia Stage Company.

The rest of the company includes Darius Harper (Miss Understanding), Jon Cooper, Alex Nordin, Emily Grace Kersey, Mark DiConzo, Brooke Martino, Mallory Davis, Nicolas de La Vega, Adam Rennie, Andrew Norlen, Vinny Celeiro and Martavius Parrish.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical features a hit parade of over 20 dance-floor anthems including "It's Raining Men," "Finally" and "I Will Survive. The Gateway production is directed by Dave Ruttura with choreography by Gerry McIntyre. Musical direction by Michael McAassey, set design by Stan Meyer, costumes come from the European Tour based on the Broadway designs by Academy Award winners Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner which earned the Tony Award. Lighting design by Doug Harry and sound design by Don Hanna.

Ticket prices for Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical range from $59 to $89. Tickets are available by calling (631) 286-1133 or at the Gateway box office, 215 South Country Rd, Bellport, NY 11713. Online at www.TheGateway.org. The show runs from July 20 thru August 6, 2016.