The stage adaptation of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert opened at the Palace Theatre March 20, 2011. The musical, featuring a book by Allan Scott and Stephen Elliott, played 23 previews and 526 performances before closing June 24, 2012. The production earned two Tony Awards, with Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel winning for Best Costume Design of a Musical.
Based on the 1994 Oscar-winning film The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the musical follows the adventures of a trio of drag queens who journey across the Australian Outback.
The production starred Will Swenson as Tick (Mitzi), Tony Sheldon as Bernadette, Nick Adams as Adam (Felicia), C. David Johnson as Bob, Ashley Spencer as Diva 1, Anastacia McCleskey as Diva 2, Jacqueline B. Arnold as Diva 3, James Brown III as Jimmy, Nathan Lee Graham as Miss Understanding, J. Elaine Marcos as Cynthia, Mike McGowan as Frank, Jessica Phillips as Marion, Steve Schepis as Young Bernadette/Farrah, Keala Settle as Shirley, and Luke Kolbe Mannikus and Ashton Woerz as Benji. Rounding out the ensemble wereThom Allison, Kyle Brown, Gavin Lodge, Jeff Metzler, Bryan West, and Tad Wilson with Joshua Buscher, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Eric Sciotto, Amaker Smith, and Esther Stilwell as swings.
Developed for the stage by director Simon Phillips, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert featured choreography by Ross Coleman, production supervision by Jerry Mitchell, lighting design by Nick Schlieper, costume design by Chappel and Gardiner, and sound design by Jonathan Deans and Peter Fitzgerald with bus concept and production design and bus visual animation sequences design by Brian Thomson. Visit the Playbill Vault for the complete cast and creative team.
