HERE at Outernet, London – until 29 September 2024
Reviewed by Emily Smith
5*****
Priscilla the Party! is a new West End experience and re-imagining of the musical, Priscilla Queen of The Desert, which has been performed in cities across the world since 2006. Originally based on a book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, before being made into a film of the same name, the show explores poignant themes impacting the drag, non-binary, gay and transgender communities, told through the stories of three friends – Tick/Mitzi (Owain Williams), Bernadette (Dakota Starr) and Adam/Felicia (Reece Kerridge) – who travel on a bus through the Australian outback, finding friendship, love and acceptance along the way.
When you walk into the new venue, HERE at Outernet, you’re transported to the Cockatoo Club in Australia, which is darkly lit with glitterballs across the ceiling, pink, fluorescent signs, and pop music playing, making you feel fully immersed in the drag club where the show begins. It was great to see all the audience members embracing the suggested dress code with face glitter, sequined cowboy hats, flashing disco ball earrings and light-up flower garlands! If you’re unsure what to wear… don’t hold back! And… for anyone who doesn’t have these items lying around at home, they are available to buy at the Merchandise stall.
The experience has three ticket options; you can opt to stand on the main dancefloor, sit to the sides of the dancefloor, or dine on the mezzanine levels and watch from above. We had standing tickets which allowed us to move around freely throughout the performance and choose where to position ourselves. Of course, as is the nature with a dancefloor of people standing, there are people of various heights around you, constantly moving (you’ll see why shortly!) which means visibility is changeable and could be an issue for anyone on the shorter side. It should also be noted that there will be people for whom standing for close to three hours is not comfortable, and who should perhaps opt for seated tickets as there are no additional seats on the dancefloor.
The show itself is split into three acts with two mini intervals to allow for regular breaks. The bar, food, and merchandise stalls at the back of the dancefloor remain open throughout the performance though, allowing people to move freely to refill their drinks and get snacks when they want. There are also several performances before the main show begins, and during the intervals, to keep the audience entertained throughout.
The set itself is simple but utilizes a large screen onstage to project the bus and scenes of the desert. Another incredibly unique aspect of the show is that there are several smaller stages that detach from the main stage and literally move around the dancefloor, around the audience. Of course, this requires great coordination and there is a large team of staff on the dancefloor that intermittently appear to indicate to the standing members where to move, based on where the stages are moving or where the actors are entering/exiting. This adds a dynamic element to your viewing position with the standing audience constantly moving and repositioning, but also frequent change with where the main action is taking place. I thought this was really unique and engaging for the audience – I’ve never seen anything like it! Bravo to Brian Thomson and Justin Nardella for their staging and video design.
The show features well-known and well-loved songs such as It’s Raining Men, I will Survive and, a more recent addition, Born This Way. The musical component of the show has been dialled up to support the dancefloor setting of this Party version, with dialogue from the original production being reduced. While the West End has recently struggled with audiences inappropriately singing along during performances, that isn’t an issue at Priscilla the Party! where singing and dancing along are encouraged (with respect for fellow audience members of course)!
Despite the dialogue being reduced, the heart of the story still shines through with the message of love, support and acceptance being clear throughout. It was an incredibly inclusive and welcoming environment for all! Lots of the audience were chatting to one another in the intervals, hearing about each other’s experiences of this show that has been well-loved for many years.
Now… to the show itself! The entire cast were absolutely incredible and very talented. I particularly enjoyed the three Divas (Grace Galloway, Gracie Lai and Sara Louise) who delivered flawless vocals throughout and who provided the live vocals anytime the drag queens of the production were lip syncing. I think this really added to the authenticity of the show compared with lip syncing to a backing track.
The casting of Benjy (Tick’s son) presents a challenge for the production, with child actors not being the optimal choice for this show. This production cleverly solves that issue by selecting a (potentially) unassuming member of the audience who is thrown on stage and joins the production. This provides both comedy value and solves a problem for the casting team!
Trevor Ashely (Gaye Cliché) reports for hosting responsibilities, opening the show with Get This Party Started before explaining the format of the show to the audience on the dancefloor, offering comedic quips, and then appearing throughout the show in various roles. Owain Williams (Tick/Mitzi), Dakota Starr (Bernadette) and Reece Kerridge (Adam/Felicia) also truly shine in their leading roles in this production.
The glitzy array of costumes and head-dresses by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner were absolutely extraordinary, and Andrew Hallsworth’s choreography was spectacular with the large ensemble filling the stage and runway and providing plenty to look at! The skill of the ensemble to wear such flamboyant and outrageous outfits and perform flawless choreography and deliver incredible vocals still amazes me! Overall, Simon Phillips has done an excellent job directing this production.
This is not your ordinary West End show – it truly is an experience – a party not to be missed!