Priscilla

Priscilla The Musical approaches the end of its run at the Princess of Wales Theatre. As soon as the production wraps up their trial-run in Toronto, the pink bus moves on to its Broadway debut in March 2011. From the original Australian cast, the only actor that remains in the North American cast is Tony Sheldon, in the role of Bernadette.

Despite some favorite parts from the movie being excised (no Abba poop or aboriginals in drag), the musical stays close enough to the film's story arc. But the focus here isn't exactly the plot; the show is really about the soundtrack, which gets some reinforcements from Madonna, Donna Summer and Cyndi Lauper. The songs from the movie are almost all there, with some regrettable omissions (Charlene's I've Never Been To Me and Patti Page's I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine, for instance). But boy, do we get a lot of I Will Survive...

Whenever an iconic or cult film becomes diluted in musical theatre, it's hard to continue taking it seriously. When the movie came out, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of The Desert meant a lot more than just another gay movie -- it was one of the pioneers that dealt with deep and complicated gay issues in a lighthearted way, quickly placing itself in the universal gay subconscious. The musical isn't nearly as powerful, but taken for what it is, it's fun for the whole family. The audience was mostly middle-aged ladies, some young straight couples, a few kids and even some gays.