I was excited to hear that Stage West was going to have a performance of Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical. I have seen the movie several times, but I have never been given the opportunity to see the musical. After watching many musicals at Stage West Calgary, like Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, Victor Victoria, Nunsense, Jersey Boys, Avenue Q, and so much more, I was hoping it was going to be amazing.

The premise of the story is the same as in the movie. It is based in Australia, and the main characters are two drag queens and a transgender woman, who buy a bus, which they call "Priscilla". to travel to perform a show at a faraway resort in the Australian Outback. From the start to finish there is comedy, romance, lots of drag performances and several situations of dealing with homophobia and transphobia.

Well, Stage West Calgary put the "M" into musical for this production. There are a lot of musical numbers, which from what I remember is more than what was in the original movie. The costumes were big, outrageous, bright and colourful. Pulling off having a bus as a prop on stage and moving it around to accommodate the scene was impressive, especially for the size of the stage. This production does put it up there with some of my favorite musicals that I have seen at Stage West. Mark Bellamy, who directed the production along with the rest of the Stage West Calgary production team, did an extraordinary job.

As part of the Stage West Calgary experience, there is the "all you can eat buffet", which is something I look forward to every time I go. It is nice to experience different foods while having great conversations with friends before the performance starts. There is something for everyone to enjoy and to go along with your meal, make sure you ask for the cocktail that goes with the show.

Stage West Calgary has been a great supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, for a very long time. Their staff include members from the LGBTQ+ community including members of the production team. Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical shows how inclusive and supportive they are to the community.

Enjoy the show and remember, "Love is Love".

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Contributor Steve Polyak |

Locale Calgary |

Topic Stagewest | Theatre |