Dancing Queen

I came out to my family rather late in life. I was out to most of my friends for a long time. Especially my theatre friends. One of them was my dear friend Elizabeth. Elizabeth is an amazing dancer as well as a  massage, Raiki and MFR therapist. For a very long time, Elizabeth was the only friend who was willing to accompany me to see LGBT films, usually at a small art house cinema near her home. We saw Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet together and loved it.

And she and I saw The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the 1994 Australian film about two drag queens and transgendered woman making their way across the Outback to perform in the small resort town of Alice Springs. Along the way, we find that these friends have just as much in common with all of us, as they do each other. Hugo Weaving (The Matrix); Guy Pierce (Memento) and Terence Stamp (Superman II) star in a delightfully funny and heartwarming movie about friendship, pride, love and determination. When it won the Oscar for Best Costume Design, co-winner Lizzy Gardner accepted her award wearing an amazing gown made out of American Express Gold cards, causing a sensation.

The movie was turned into a stage musical a few years ago, taking Australia and then England by storm. And it is finally about to hit Broadway. Starting previews on February 28th, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert features a score of 70's disco tunes and some of the most astonishing costumes since the original production of La Cage aux Folles. While writing about the disastrous reviews for Broadway's latest big-budget debacle (which shall remain unnamed, but is obviously about a certain Marvel Superhero), I uploaded a grainy YouTube preview of Priscilla. But now, (via) comes the "official" preview.

I've already asked Elizabeth to see the show with me. It's sort of our thing. I saw the last performance of the original cast of Kiss of the Spiderwoman  on Broadway with her, as well as Julie Andrews final Broadway appearance in Victor/Victoria. And while I don't get to see her nearly as much as I would like to these days, we've shared a love of many things, both silly ("MST3K") and sublime (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover). And while I certainly wouldn't object to seeing this show with any of my dear friends, I know they will all understand that there is no one else I want to see it with more than Elizabeth. Of course, it doesn't help that K absolutely hates the city; Q and Dale usually prefer straight (as in non-musical) plays and D is more of a movie guy. They are all more than welcome to come with us, but I have a feeling this is show meant for me and Elizabeth... You guys understand, right?

More, anon.
Prospero