Priscilla: Queen of the Dessert: Thursday January 5th 8pm

I just returned from a most mediocre evening of glam and glitter. Intending to see the soon to close showing of Billy Elliot, only to discover the holiday schedule interrupted its thursday night showing, and all remaining shows have sold out with the exception of 200 dollar plus tickets. I walked around in my least favorite place: time square to find an alternate show amongst the many. As a non-frequenter of broadway I was not sure what to expect. I saw the mountaintop on my birthday in September. That was across the street from Billy. So i kept on my journey, dodging the comedy show promoters on every corner along with the swarms of tourists. Then i came across the sign for Priscilla. I remember seeing snippets on NY1 News back when I had cable, and I felt like it was something I wanted to check out. How often do you get to see a broadway show full of drag queens and glitter? I was forewarned by the gently NY1 critics the show was very much a pun filled lighthearted comedy. After watching the original swedish girl with a dragon tatoo last evening on netflix, I was prepared for serious theater. For drama. Instead, i found the least dense show on broadway. The characters really had no depth beyond a journey to reconnect with the main queen's former marriage and child. He loures two queens to journey in a femmed out mini van to the town with his ex wife as his son askes him to come meet him. They are invited to perform a few numbers. En route, they encounter some gay bashing in the rural towns, and pic up a mechanic to ensure they arrive at their desitination. Beyond this we really are not able to connect much with any of the characters, and pretty much before any meaningful dialogue can take place the chorus comes in with another pop disco song the audience cant help but sing along with confetti and a disco ball to top the number off. The costumes were incredible, and the choreography was perhaps too tounge and cheek for me.

The atmosphere definitely alluded to some of my historical curiosity of theater. To show girls, and glitter and glam. When a performance was very much about the physical tallent of your body, and the spectacle created. Here, i felt the vocals were not in harmony, and thus the glam did more work when i wanted the bodies to match up to the expensive adorments they lay within. The supporting character had incredible energy, which fit his young and restless modality. He definitely carried the story for me, rounding it off with a remarakable solo performance in the semi-finalie. But most importantly was the presence of the elder queen, who marked her presence with the utmost brilliance in manner and speach. I think she had the most lines, and really showed true character in form and performance. I was impressed.

Lastly, the energy of the ensemble carried through such that I could not help but smile, clap and do a short sway of head and hips on my way out as the rest of the audience continued to dance. The music carried with me all the way home, and I could definitely due with some donna summer this week.

Priscilla, I felt your characters were so shallow because their true stories were not yet able to be heard or written perhaps. Why not, can a transexual m to f individual have a personal journey beyond being shammed by his identity and profession as a performer? What other goals, and aspirations and challenges does this individual face. Can we hear their voice? This performance felt like the glorfied white male articulation of gay culture. Of the brilliant, glittery fabulous rich life with luxurious fabrics and exciting performance. But what are their real stories. What do these individuals face in reality? That would be my interest. And they can have a story with their club music. Oh yes they can. Prisicilla, i am waiting for day when your script contains more text than pop song lyrics.

And the annoying girls in the bathroom afterward set the tone for the audience interpretation for me. A group of 4 white skinned woman were chatting and laughing int he bathroom about how one of their mothers only told them it was a comedy, not that it was about drag queens. And thier friends said yea she probably didnt tell you that because than you probably wouldn't go. And they proceeded to make plans to go to a bar in the village....

sigh...