A little drag and a little Broadway?
We’re in.
Priscilla Queen of the Desert, coming March 5 through 10 to the Benedum Center, features more than 500 costumes and 200 pairs of shoes, says ensemble member Alex DeLeo.
“It’s pretty spectacular,” he says, describing the contraption that transforms him into a winged lizard during the finale. “To get into the costume, there’s this whole backpack, of metal and steel, that gets attached to my body,” he says. A four-foot tail attaches to the harness, buckled in the front, with wings controlled by wires in his sleeves, giving DeLeo the ability to open and close the fivefoot span over his head.
DeLeo is also an understudy for Felicia, who has 26 costume changes complete with full make-up and wigs.
The musical’s costume designers, Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Costume Design for their over-the-top drag styling — from brightly colored bell-bottoms with high rubber headdresses to wide, glamorous paintbrush ensembles with long, shiny fringe.
Priscilla Queen of the Desert began as a 1994 Australian film about three drag performers who take a journey across the countryside together in a lavender tour bus.
In the musical, drag queen Mitzi Mitosis – also known as Anthony “Tick” Belrose – organizes the trip along with fellow drag queen, Felicia, and transsexual, Bernadette.
All three take off in the bus, named Priscilla, as a favor to Tick’s wife, with whom he was separated from after having a son.
After successful stints in Sydney, Toronto and London, the musical hit Broadway in March 2011, produced in part by Bette Midler.
Now the first touring production in the United States makes a stop in Pittsburgh, as part of the PNC Broadway Across America series.
Paul Organisak, vice president of programming with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, says the series — which has included Flashdance, Les Miserables, Sister Act and American Idiot this year — mixes new hits and old favorites.
“What we get here is what comes directly from Broadway,” he says. “Our Broadway series is defined by the best shows coming from Broadway.”
“With songs like “It’s Raining Men,” “Material Girl,” “Hot Stuff,” and “I Will Survive,” Priscilla brings to the Benedum the fun and entertainment that has always attracted audiences to drag,” Organisak says.
“Drag was born out of the gay and lesbian communities, but it has always been high entertainment for the straight community too” he says.
The style allows audiences and cast members alike to experience the fantasy of performance, says 22-year-old DeLeo, in his first national touring production. “Drag is all about taking something to the next level,” he says.
Self-discovery and acceptance are clear themes in the musical. “It’s a show about discovery, and the themes are universal: Whether you’re gay, straight, bi, trans — you can relate to it,” Organisak says. “Yes, there’s a mirror ball and a massive highheeled shoe … (but) Priscilla also has a real heart to it.”
Repeated several times, the line “I’ll never know unless I give it a go” is more about encouragement to go into the world and try something new than it is about drag, DeLeo says.
The music connects audience members to those themes. Some sing and dance along to the music. “They’re great hits,” DeLeo says. “It’s kind of like a whirlwind of pop music and disco.”
There are, what DeLeo called, some “PG13 themes,” like strong language and the threat of a hate crime, but the music can draw in any audience member, especially theater-goers like his brother, who aren’t familiar with drag.
“He’ll know the music, then he’ll learn there’s a great story behind it and love the show,” DeLeo says.
The Cultural Trust considers each show for its quality and entertainment value, more than whether “controversial” themes are included, like the drag in Priscilla or religion later this month in Book of Mormon, Organisak says.
“There are markets that would pass on this show,” he says. “We’re not questioning our audience. It’s pretty wonderful that we’re not having discussions about ‘do we bring this show or not?’”
The Cultural Trust has supported Pittsburgh’s drag community in the past, including sponsorship of the last two Miss Tri-State All-Star Pageant — subtitled “simply the best in female impersonation” — at the Cabaret at Theater Square. “Thousands of people in Pittsburgh will be
seeing Priscilla, and they will have a great time. No one’s going to walk out … 12-yearolds and 90-year-olds, they’ll have a great time,” he says.
DeLeo says that even the cast can’t help but feel the positive energy through the music. “I go up there every night, and no matter what mood I’m in, you come to the theater, the music starts and suddenly you’re uplifted,” he says.
Priscilla Queen of the Desert runs March 5-10 at the Benedum Center. Tickets are available at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., by visiting trustarts.
