If you can't get enough of '90s Australiana, then it's a great time to be alive. In 2014, there was the diamante-studded Strictly Ballroom the Musical. Later this year, Sydney Theatre Company will bring Porpoise Spit to the stage with a musical version of Muriel's Wedding. And in January next year, Priscilla Queen of the Desert will sashay into Melbourne's Regent Theatre, then make its way to Sydney's Capitol Theatre in May, Adelaide in August and Brisbane in September.
Why is it back now, you ask? The musical adaptation of Stephan Elliot's 1994 camp classic – which starred Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Terence Stamp as drag queens – premiered in Sydney in 2006. Since then it has travelled the world, picking up a Tony and an Olivier award, plus a swag of other accolades, along the way. Finally, Priscilla will return to her homeland 10 years after the musical closed in Australia back in 2008, with the show's original director (and doyen of Australian theatre) Simon Phillips at the helm (who most recently directed the MTC's Macbeth).
"It's a joy to be back in the driver's seat for the homecoming of this bona fide national treasure," says Simon Phillips. "Behind the sparkles, feathers and camp feel-good factor is a story that remains as relevant as it did when the film was released 20-odd years ago with a message of hope, tolerance and acceptance."
Photograph: Supplied
If you've never seen the film, then a) get on that ASAP; and b) slip on your best sequinned outfit and get ready to dance in the aisles of the theatre to hits like 'I Will Survive', 'I Love the Nightlife' and 'Don't Leave Me This Way'.
Casting will commence in August, and tickets will go on sale for the Melbourne season from Monday August 14. To score your seat first, join the ticket waitlist on the website.
Get ready for the ride of your lives, darlings – this is one party bus you won't want to miss.
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