Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Towngate Theatre, Basildon
Wednesday 27th to Saturday 30th June
We chat to Josh Handley, David Street and Mark Evans-Leigh about everything Priscilla!
Towngate Theatre, Basildon
Wednesday 27th to Saturday 30th June
We chat to Josh Handley, David Street and Mark Evans-Leigh about everything Priscilla!
The Players Theatre Company have been putting on shows for almost 20 years, firstly at Southend’s New Empire Theatre and then more recently at Westcliff’s Palace Theatre, but their next production is a show so big, they have had to take a road trip, through the outback - ok, the A127 - to Basildon’s Towngate Theatre, for the regional premiere of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
The show features a 32 foot revolving bus, a professional Orchestra, West End scenery and over 150 wild and wonderful costumes including more than 50 wigs. “Without doubt it’s the biggest show we have tackled, since staging the Premiere of Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, back in 2010” said the shows director, and producer of the company, Julie Robertson, “and even then this show trumps it in the sheer volume of costumes”.
Mark Evans-Leigh and David Street seem to have been perfectly cast for the Players Theatre Company’s next production, Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The show is based on the much loved Australian film of the 1990’s, which starred Guy Pearce, Terrence Stamp and Hugo Weaving telling the tale of 3 drag queens and the adventures they encounter whilst taking a road trip across the outback to perform at Alice Springs.
The show features a 32 foot revolving bus, a professional Orchestra, West End scenery and over 150 wild and wonderful costumes including more than 50 wigs. “Without doubt it’s the biggest show we have tackled, since staging the Premiere of Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, back in 2010” said the shows director, and producer of the company, Julie Robertson, “and even then this show trumps it in the sheer volume of costumes”.
Mark Evans-Leigh and David Street seem to have been perfectly cast for the Players Theatre Company’s next production, Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The show is based on the much loved Australian film of the 1990’s, which starred Guy Pearce, Terrence Stamp and Hugo Weaving telling the tale of 3 drag queens and the adventures they encounter whilst taking a road trip across the outback to perform at Alice Springs.
Josh, right, clearly wondering when David (centre) and Mark (left) are going to lend him their heels!
In real life, David, 54 and Mark, 34, (who play Bernadette and Mitzi in the show) have themselves performed in their own individual drag acts and certainly have no trouble working their way around false eyelashes, wigs and stiletto heels; something that Josh Handley, 23, who plays the youngest of the three drag queens, Felicia, has actually taken to surprisingly rather well, having never done anything like this before.
He tells me, “It was easier than I thought. I wanted to challenge myself really and it’s actually been quite easy - it’s not been too much of a problem wearing the heels.”
David agrees, “Mark and I have our own shoes from our drag acts and Josh has had to borrow ours - but he’s a natural.”
Priscilla was first staged as a musical in Australia, and soon found itself heading for the West End, and Broadway. It has been professionally staged in over 40 productions, and now the Players Theatre Company are amongst the first in the UK to have the honour of staging this show.
All three confess that rehearsals have been enormous fun. David who is also the show’s choreographer confesses, “It really is great fun to rehearse and fun to watch. Every week we have laughed and enjoyed the run throughs, it’s almost a shame to be this close to show week knowing it will soon all be over!”
He tells me, “It was easier than I thought. I wanted to challenge myself really and it’s actually been quite easy - it’s not been too much of a problem wearing the heels.”
David agrees, “Mark and I have our own shoes from our drag acts and Josh has had to borrow ours - but he’s a natural.”
Priscilla was first staged as a musical in Australia, and soon found itself heading for the West End, and Broadway. It has been professionally staged in over 40 productions, and now the Players Theatre Company are amongst the first in the UK to have the honour of staging this show.
All three confess that rehearsals have been enormous fun. David who is also the show’s choreographer confesses, “It really is great fun to rehearse and fun to watch. Every week we have laughed and enjoyed the run throughs, it’s almost a shame to be this close to show week knowing it will soon all be over!”
|
“I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much during a rehearsal - EVER - and I’ve been performing for some time now,” Mark tells me, “but I literally go home and my sides actually hurt from laughing…and I don’t know whether that’s been from when we’ve messed up lines or just because the show is genuinely hilarious anyway. There’s so much heart to it which makes it so much funnier.”
Mark remembers watching the film of Priscilla Queen of the Desert when he was a 15 year old boy at the height of his sexual awakening. “The film actually was possibly one of the first gay/LGBT movies that I’d ever seen. I didn’t really know anything about gay culture or drag queens for that matter, and I was just hooked by it.” |
|
“I can remember being really fearful about telling my mum that I liked this film because I didn’t know what it meant. All of a sudden, I was like, I wanna do that. It brought up all these weird emotions and so now, for me to do the show, it’s kind of come full circle.” He laughs, “Especially when you find out that your mum’s bought tickets for the front row!”
Mark and David who are married (not to each other!) feel that attitudes towards the LGBT community have thankfully changed over the years and Mark tells me, “The film’s always been really important to me for that reason and I think it’s still valid today. There’s a lot more acceptance out there, especially nowadays with things like Ru Paul’s Drag Race. That’s why it’s great to do a show like this.”
However, there is a moment in the show which particularly resonates for Mark.
“One of my lines is, ‘It doesn’t matter how tough you think you are or how immune you think you’ve become - it still hurts.’ That particular line, every time I do it, is always very resonant because there are still times, even after all these years - and I’m married and we’re having a baby soon - when you get that certain comment when you’re walking down the street and you realise that there is still prejudice out there.”
Mark and David who are married (not to each other!) feel that attitudes towards the LGBT community have thankfully changed over the years and Mark tells me, “The film’s always been really important to me for that reason and I think it’s still valid today. There’s a lot more acceptance out there, especially nowadays with things like Ru Paul’s Drag Race. That’s why it’s great to do a show like this.”
However, there is a moment in the show which particularly resonates for Mark.
“One of my lines is, ‘It doesn’t matter how tough you think you are or how immune you think you’ve become - it still hurts.’ That particular line, every time I do it, is always very resonant because there are still times, even after all these years - and I’m married and we’re having a baby soon - when you get that certain comment when you’re walking down the street and you realise that there is still prejudice out there.”
|
Being a gay guy in the theatrical world is hardly uncommon but David has had his share of prejudice outside of treading the boards. He explains, “My husband and I were looking to go to Egypt and we were advised not to go - because we are married. Because of what could happen. And you just think, does this still go on in the world nowadays? But of course it does.”
David currently lives with his husband in rural Kent. “We’re probably the only gays in the village,” he laughs. “I moved in five years ago and I’ve never changed and I’m not going to change. And now everyone accepts us.” He continues, “Nowadays, I don’t think there's as much stigma about being gay. Nobody should be saying, I can’t go and do this anymore. Anybody can do anything." |
David believes Priscilla has something for everyone and will appeal to a broad spectrum.
The show features many of the songs people loved from the film, like Shake your Groove Thing, I Will Survive, A Fine Romance and Finally, but it also has other classics thrown in for good measure like It’s Raining Men and True Colours so it promises to have something for everyone, and have you on your feet at the end.
“This show is not just about being gay, it’s about people having a good fun night. It’s full of colour - the costumes, the music - that’s what it’s all about. There are girls dressed as paintbrushes and boys dressed as cupcakes - it is just completely full on!”
The show runs from Wednesday 27th to Saturday 30th June at the Towngate Theatre Basildon, but be quick as tickets are selling fast.
For tickets go online to www.towngatetheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01268 205 300
The show features many of the songs people loved from the film, like Shake your Groove Thing, I Will Survive, A Fine Romance and Finally, but it also has other classics thrown in for good measure like It’s Raining Men and True Colours so it promises to have something for everyone, and have you on your feet at the end.
“This show is not just about being gay, it’s about people having a good fun night. It’s full of colour - the costumes, the music - that’s what it’s all about. There are girls dressed as paintbrushes and boys dressed as cupcakes - it is just completely full on!”
The show runs from Wednesday 27th to Saturday 30th June at the Towngate Theatre Basildon, but be quick as tickets are selling fast.
For tickets go online to www.towngatetheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01268 205 300
All Photos: Roger Young