Jason Donovan set to star in Priscilla Queen of the Desert (From Wimbledon Guardian)

Jason Donovan set to star in Priscilla Queen of the Desert

7:00am Sunday 3rd March 2013 in News By Lauren May, Chief Reporter

It is time to dust off your heels and get out the glitter as Jason Donovan prepares to hit Wimbledon with an all-singing, all-dancing production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, writes Lauren May.

Donovan will reprise the role of Tick, the part he originally played when the show opened in the West End in 2009. 

Based on the movie Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the musical follows the adventures of three friends who hop on a bus in search of love and friendship, but end up finding much more than they dreamed of.

Packed with dazzling costumes, this outrageous show features feel-good dance-floor hits to get you in the party mood including It’s Raining Men, Say a Little Prayer, Go West, Hot Stuff and Always on My Mind.

The musical originally opened in Australia in 2006 where it ran for two years before opening in the West End for a run of a further two years and recently played a successful season on Broadway.

The UK tour will hit Wimbledon on March 11 starring Donovan as Tick and Graham Weaver as
Felicia.

Actor Richard Grieve, best known for his role as Jonny Foster in Emmerdale, takes on the part of Bernadette.

The native Australian has also appeared in soaps Neighbours and Home and Away, and performed on tour with Footloose – The Musical.

Grieve says: “Every night audiences have been on their feet at the end of the show.

“It’s been received really well. There are people there who are stalwarts of the show that have seen it in Milan, New York and London and it’s been brilliant.

“It’s about two drag queens and a transsexual back when homosexuality wasn’t really normalised.

“Even 10 or 20 years ago – so much has changed in the last 20 years.

“It’s much more out in the open but back then these characters were like misfits.

“They embark on a journey across the Australian desert unbeknownst to two of them that they are visiting the ex-wife and children of the central character, Tick.

“It’s really a road trip and the adventures that they come across in the
outback.

“There is some great humour in it that is often quite irreverent and its got a very big heart.

“The main message of the piece is one of tolerance, friendship and belonging.”