Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Indulge a little. That’s what everyone says when they want you to have another drink at happy hour, share a dessert or buy a new pair of shoes. Sadly, I can’t give you the same advice regarding Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the frothy and sweet guilty pleasure currently playing at the Palace Theater.Inspired by the 1994 cult movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the musical follows three drag queens on a road trip through the Australian desert on the titular vehicle as they travel to a casino where they will debut a new  act. Tick, the leader of the pack and performed by Will Swenson, has a wife and child at the casino – a secret he has not shared with his two friends. Bernadette, a gracious-lady transsexual played by Tony Sheldon, is a grande dame, decked out in flowing dresses and classic wigs. And Mitzi, played by Nick Adams, is filled to the brim with energy and in danger of bubbling over at any moment.The trio faces many adventures during their trip, but aside from mechanical troubles and small-town prejudices, and the sarcastic barbs exchanged between Bernadette and Mitzi, there is little conflict during the show. It is difficult to remain invested in these characters, no matter how handsome and muscled they are (very). The show is a light-hearted romp with a few moments of tension or sadness included, finished off with a sweet story about tolerance and acceptance. But it’s not enough.Swenson, who was joyously magnetic in the recent revival of Hair, is sadly underused in the role of Tick. He depicts the man’s conflict about his past and his future well, and his singing voice, when used, is gloriously rich and layered. But so much of his role involves trading stock jokes about homosexual culture or lip-synching to women that his real talent is barely used. (The female vocals are provided by Jacqueline B. Arnold, Anastacia McCleskey and Ashley Spencer, who are suspended from the ceiling for the majority of the show, singing and dancing mid-air.)As Mitzi, Adams is required to do little other than look attractive in his minuscule costumes and bounce about the stage, but he performs both tasks quite ably. His energy is contagious and he is undeniably enjoyable to watch.The role of Bernadette is the most textured and Sheldon delves into it happily and gracefully. Sheldon, who has been with the show since its premiere in Australia, gives Bernadette a real dignity and vulnerability as he mourns the loss of his younger lover and adopts the role of mother to Tick and Mitzi throughout their trip.  Of the three, he is the only one who feels like an actual character, a flaw that is credited more to the script than the actors.The real stars of the show, however, are the costumes. During the many musical numbers plucked from the past thirty years of pop music, a chorus of singers and dancers dressed in outlandishly colored costumes emerge to join the men in the numbers. Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, who won the Oscar for the film’s costumes, recreate their work for the stage. The audience, who mainly are familiar with the film, seem as happy to see the costumes as they do the actors.The feeling of familiar acknowledgement is a constant during the play. One can sense the audience anticipating lines or songs moments before they begin. When Tick emerges from the van, sees a cake lying on the desert ground and turns to the audience, saying, “I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment!” before bursting into “Macarthur Park,” the audience begins laughing immediately. It’s like a friendly nudge or inside joke.The humor is plentiful, but the lack of authentic plot or conflict causes the show to drag (no pun intended) at times and the familial aspect of the movie has aged. Many gay couples have children today and Bernadette and Mitzi’s shocked reaction to Tick’s acknowledgment that he has a son feels forced. And while Tick’s son’s unquestioning acceptance of his father is sweet to witness, especially when he suggests that it might be time for Daddy to get a boyfriend, is sweet, the duet of “You Are Always On My Mind” and “I Say A Little Prayer for You” is undeniably oversentimental.The show is unapologetic in its campiness – everything from the enormous lipstick that rests on the stage before the curtain rises to the giant glittering shoe that the actors descend during curtain calls. So indulge if you like – but be prepared for the inevitable hangover.