How Priscilla the musical has raised the bar
Priscilla take a bow
The curtain has closed, the audience has gone, the actors and backstage people have all gone back to their day jobs and the Clink stage is once again empty, but the recent smash hit run of Priscilla Queen of The Desert at the tiny theatre is still reverberating among audiences and in particular fellow theatre folk from places far away including Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne.
In fact, this production by the Douglas Theatre Arts Group has tongues wagging for all the right reasons.
What’s going on at the Clink?
Cairns thespians from time to time think about this small amateur group up the road and have a passing interest in how this and that production goes, but with Priscilla it recorded a seismic shift. Suddenly there was a rush for tickets from local theatre goers and non-local theatre folk, wanting to know what all the fuss was about.
Musical Director Alteouise DeVaughn, who has some 40 years’ experience in theatre, has her theories on why Priscilla hit the mark. “It was a big show, bigger than we’ve ever done, filled with singing, dancing and fabulous costumes but it was the cast who really made it work in such a spectacular fashion” she says.
Ms DeVaughn said that the bar was set very high, but the cast, crew and director Michael Kerr reached that bar and if anything went above that. “Everyone did their homework and prepared for this gruelling show and managed to do 13 high energy performances, which I liken to a marathon, you just don’t run in a marathon without preparing, well this was their marathon and they won’ she said.
The accolades were earned through blood sweat and tears by the cast, including the author of this article, who rehearsed for 7 months to make Priscilla the history making musical that it became.
Sat in the audience
The former New Yorker admitted she did take time off one night off to sit in the audience to see Priscilla. “I laughed, I cried and found myself up dancing with the audience members and quite frankly, I didn’t want to go backstage for the next show, I just wanted to stay there night after night and watch it from a seat, it was spectacular”.
More accolades for local performers
But Alteouise DeVaughn has more to be proud of, with her music students coming up trumps at the recent Townsville Adult Eisteddfod over Easter. “I conduct the Voices of the North choir and sing with the Cairns Choral Society and I’m happy and proud to say the ‘Voices’ won both our divisions collecting two trophy’s and came second overall to the Cairns Choral Society”.
Ms DeVaughn says her next show at the Clink will be Saturday May 14th when the Cairns Classical Music Group take to the stage with local singers and the show ‘Autumn’.
Visit the Clink theatre's website here.