“Priscilla Queen of the Desert,” the musical, was fabulously brought to the stage by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s (TAMU-CC) Department of Theatre and Dance. The play itself felt as if the audience was attending a show with Drag Queens in it, rather than a play about Drag Queens due to its camp ambiance. 

The musical is a light-hearted road comedy that tells the story of three drag queens who travel across Australia in a bus and run into some trouble along the way. The play itself showcased a phenomenal range of vocals with a catchy setlist, spectacular choreography, and an otherworldly wardrobe that had no shortage of sequins.

TAMU-CC’s production of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert,” directed by Kelly Russell, opened on March 7, starring Mitchell Zilmner as Bernadette Bassanger, who is a tough, loving, Transgender queen who favors the “old ways” of traditional drag by lip singing. James Williams plays Anthony “Tick” Belrose, the main character that serves as the glue binding the three queens together and the catalyst for the trios’ road trip, and Christopher Duncan plays Felicia, a fun-loving troublemaker who keeps the trio and the audience on their toes.

The narrative of the play is positive and light-hearted, straying away from the stereotypical tragic LGBTQ+ stories. The play explores themes of the found family trope and how fear of acceptance can provide a path for an individual to run away from those who care, while simultaneously displaying how love is a universal feeling deserved by everyone.

The tickets for this production are twelve dollars for general admission and ten dollars for students, seniors, and military members. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and the doors open at 7:00 p.m. TAMU-CC’s production of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert,” the musical will continue until March 11. 

Sources:

• https://www.tamucc.edu/liberal-arts/departments/theatre/assets/priscilla-program.pdf
• https://www.tamucc.edu/liberal-arts/departments/theatre/on-stage/index.php