Weekender scopes out the best backstage moments of the award-winning musical
Three friends drive a fabulous bus across Australia in search of their performance venue, a casino resort in Alice Springs, but get hopelessly and hilariously lost in the sprawling desert. That’s the simple yet elegant story that Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, plays out.
It is a sparkling and larger-than-life adaptation of the Oscar-winning 1994 movie of the same name. The Tony Award-winning musical features Michael Williams as regular family guy-cum-drag queen Tick; Jon Santos as transgender diva Bernadette, and Red Concepcion as flamboyant Felicia. Joining them is Singaporean actor Jonathan Lim, who opens the show as Miss Understanding.
What’s that? Who plays Priscilla? Why, the bus, of course!
The musical is held at Resorts World Sentosa from 16 Oct to 26 Oct. Before you catch this unforgettable production on stage, get a rare glimpse into the workings of the cast and what they think about their fabulous act!
How did you get inspired and hyped up for your role?
Jonathan Lim: For a fabulous drag role like Miss Understanding, a lot of the vavavoom comes from the hair and the heels. It’s like an armor… [I received my] armor and helmet and suddenly, the transformation is complete.
Jon Santos: A lot of old Hollywood movies (featuring Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn) helped. They inspired me in the “creation” of Bernadette.
Red Concepcion: I think the important thing that I focused on was finding the humanity in such big character like Felicia. It felt it was important to work as hard as I can to make her a real person, rather than just a stereotype or a comic relief character. But I also took a lot of inspiration from watching professional drag queens. Just watching how they work, what makes them tick, stuff like that.
What’s your favourite part about performing in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert the musical?
Jonathan Lim: For many of us, it’s the transforming. Quick-as-lightning costume and hair changes and it’s magical. You feel like you’re in a Michael Bay movie – transform, transform, transform.
Red Concepcion: My favourite thing about being in a show like Priscilla, Queen of the Desert… is that the audience really gets swept away by the story. And I especially love it when they start dancing and grooving in the seats. I love it when you can really feel that the audience is having a good time with you.
Were there any wardrobe malfunction moments?
Michael Williams: Yes, there are a million costumes and no time to change into them so there is always some minor issue. But we have rehearsed long and hard to eliminate any of all errors of course. But sometimes, things do happen.
Jon Santos: Oh! The bathing suits! Sometimes they were a little too revealing.
Red Concepcion: There’s a big costume reveal in my first number (I won’t tell you because it’s a surprise! Go see the show!). But the dress got caught on the lapel microphone and pulled it, so I had to do my number holding the teeny tiny mic with my hand to my face, like Madonna.
Which routine is the toughest for you?
Jonathan Lim: My number “What’s love got to do with it” kinda opens the show and it’s a bit scary. I’ve got to make the audience feel at ease, feel welcome, start laughing, start thinking, and introduce them to the world of drag!
Michael Williams: The “I will survive” routine, which is the finale of Act 1. Doing all that dancing in the tight costume, high heels, and giant wig is quite challenging.
Red Concepcion: I guess my solo in Act 1 (Venus), and my solo in Act 2 (Hot stuff). Although I’ve some training in dance, dancing in high heels is a totally different ball game!
What do you hope your audience will take away from the production?
Jonathan Lim: Behind all the fabulousness and the comedy, it’s a really moving and thought-provoking tale. A tale of friendship, of acceptance, of learning to love people because they are different, not despite their differences.
Michael Williams: That love is love. And that love is not gender-based. And that the perception of love and family is as unique as the individual who perceives it.
Jon Santos: We hope they will enjoy the dance music. But also, we hope they feel the love and friendship experienced by the three friends.
Red Concepcion: I think for me, Priscilla is about acceptance, and that we’re all the same essentially when you get right down to it. We’re all looking for love, for a family, for a place in this world. Sometimes it seems that people forget that because they get caught up seeing just a person’s race and religion or things like that which really shouldn’t matter. I hope the audience leaves having had a good time, yes, but also having a wider, more accepting view of the world.
Join the trio of drag queens on their song-and-dance adventure through the dusty outback at Resorts World Theatre! More information available at rwsentosa.com.
Photo credits: Resorts World Sentosa, other sources as hotlinked
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