Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

 

The Spring DOS show is packed with camp glamour, a rocking soundtrack, stunning costumes and some of the best performances you’re likely to see anywhere on stage.

The story is of 3 drag artists, Tick (Ben Connor), Bernadette (Julian Cound) and Felicia (George Hurley) who trek across Australia to perform a show for Tick’s wife Marion (Kirsty Furness) at the Alice Springs Casino.  Tick, who also has a son to Marion whom he has not seen in years, is desperate to give fatherhood a try.  Bernadette, a slightly neurotic former Les Girl has just had her heart broken by the death of her love, Trumpet and sees the trip as an opportunity to escape the sadness. Felicia is a hedonistic party fiend, for whom the trip will give her the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream of climbing Ayres rock in full drag. 

Ben’s Tick is as close to watching Hugo Weaving as you’re ever likely to see; brilliant campy when needed, soft and vulnerable and with impeccable comedic timing.  His MacArthur Park routine will have you gasping for breath.  Julian, as the older, more mature Bernie makes for a very glamorous MILF; stone cold in his sarcastic put downs he anchors the two younger fly-by-nights.  George takes on the renegade role, the “can’t be stopped and to hell with the consequences” I’m going to poke this with a stick and see what happens.

Of course, the Australian outback isn’t the most of tolerant of differences and so their journey is met with a mixture of acceptance and appreciation coupled with bigoted scepticism and prejudice.  The story is as much about asking the audience to consider their own tolerance as it is about celebrating the glam and glitz which, without ever preaching, is rather apt in the current world.

Bringing the 1993 movie to the stage is a wonderful opportunity for cast and crew to big up the bling, the hair, the heels and the eye shadow and this version leaves nothing in the dressing room.  Scene changes are seamlessly accompanied by Miss Understanding (Eddie Taylor-Jones at his most flamboyant EmCee-esque best) and the Divas. Led by Jess Harrison with Jenny Poole and Claire Wilmer, they treat us to some of the biggest, campest pop songs including Go West, It’s Raining Men, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Venus. Brilliant costumes (fans of the film will be delighted to see some favourites) and a wonderful Priscilla make it impossible to turn your eyes away for even a moment.

Notable other mentions must also go to David Murray as Bob, the dusty outback gentleman who wins Bernadette’s broken heart and his mail order wife Cynthia, played by the irrepressible Natalie Robinson, following which I will never be able to watch table tennis or listen to M’s ‘Pop Music’ ever again.  Tick’s son Benji is played by either Noah Abbas or Alfie Webster – we saw Noah who was amazing, a great actor and no slouch in the singing.

The ensemble, as is customary with every DOS production, can turn their hands, feet and voices to a whole range of numbers; Cowboy hoedown, Kylie inspired 90’s pop, Outback seedy bar and of course 70’s disco are all given the DOS treatment with Director and Choreographer Joanne Hand once again creating phenomenal multi-layered routines which show off the cast’s talents perfectly.

All in, this is a perfect show for fun, laughs, sing-a-long, feel good and boy do we need some of this at the moment – I’d go so far as to say this is the best DOS show I’ve seen in over 10 years of reviewing.

Priscilla runs until Saturday 7th May - tickets available from

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/darlingtonos/e-jvekxd

Jekyll and Hyde at Darlington Hippodrome

Jekyll and Hyde by Darlington Operatic Society

It’s not often that you get chance to see something new, for which you have no preconceived ideas and have been able to avoid any previous reviews.  Whilst many have read the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, there are few who have seen it as a musical and even fewer who will have enjoyed such a powerful and professional production as Darlington Operatic Society are performing.

With the story closely following Robert Louis Stevensons’s classic gothic tale, this deep view of the human psyche exposes the fundamental challenges everybody has; there is good and evil in us all, it is how we control them that determines who we are.

For this performance, the eponymous lead is played by Luke Oldfield who, from the very first scene, is the quintessential Victorian scientist, long hair tied back, resplendent in waistcoat and presenting with the clipped accent of the London elite.  His appeal to the governing body for their approval to continue his experiments is almost Darwinian yet, even at this apparent sane stage, he is able to convey a deeper desire, a drive to succeed and a passion to do so at all costs, especially when they all vote to refuse him his request and so sew the seeds of hatred which grow into the actions of murder.

The gentleman doctor is engaged to be married to socialite Emma Carew (played by the one and only Beth Hopper whose voice is instantly recognisable and as warm and welcome as summer rain) so he finds his passions for science somewhat constrained by the expected façade of society.  Torn between playing the expected love struck fiancée and his true passion for scientific discovery, it is when the good Doctor assumes his alter ego that Luke goes though a metamorphosis which would rival many CGI driven movies. 

His long hair becomes an unkept mass, his body seems to grow to almost twice his size and the menace he exudes is simply terrifying.  At first you will find yourself checking that there are not two actors but no, it is simply a masterclass to any actor on how to drive a character into the heart of the performance.  Driven by his being shunned by his peers, Hyde sets out to wreak his own sense of justice, with murderous intent.

As the Doctor begins to wrestle with his inner demon he seeks solace with Lucy, a hard candy coated, soft centred working girl who sees in Dr Jekyll a turmoil and anguish she can relate to.  Sadly for both her and the doc, Mr Hyde also sees Lucy as someone he can engage with, and despite, or perhaps because, of Jekyll's affections, he sets out to destroy her.  Jessica Harrison, as Lucy, is outstanding.  Often such platitudes are used lightly but here it is so very much deserved and as the 3^rd person in a triangle of turmoil, she plays the innocent loser with such passion and compassion that it is hard not to be moved to tears.

The sets and costumes for this production are steeped in Victoriana – elegant gowns and capes of high society are played off against the rags and squalor of the London slums while the soundtrack is very much akin to the depth and magnitude of Les Miserables – anthemic themes are balanced against soulful solos.

Darlington Operatic Society are widely heralded as the region’s best amateur theatre company but this production surely elevates them into a new and exciting division – I doubt that there are many, if any, companies across the whole UK who can deliver such a polished and professional performance.  As someone who now works in London, this is a performance that would not be out of place amongst the West End – for the people of Darlington, you must go and see this.

 

Running from October 23^rd until 2^nd November at Darlington Hippodrome, Tickets are on sale now by calling the Ticket Hotline on 01325 244659 or online at www.darlingtonos.org.uk.  

DISCLAIMER Neither DOS nor your author can be held liable for any nightmares following this show.

Advisory 12 years+