The musical, taken from the 1994 Stephan Elliott film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, tells the story of drag queens travelling through the Australian desert to put on a cabaret show. Working beside Phillips is the costume designer Lizzy Gardiner, who won an Oscar for her work on Elliott's film, the Tony Award-winning production designer Brian Thomson and the seasoned choreographer Ross Coleman. Priscilla opens on at the Lyric Theatre at Sydney's Star City casino on October 7.
The studio buzzed into life when the drag queens sauntered in from the harsh sunshine. To a blaring disco track, Freeda Corset swooped about in red sequins. Portia Turbo sashayed and sang along, while the frighteningly tall Verushka Darling primped across the floor in a one-legged leopard-print leotard. Outside, the drag queens were forthcoming about everything.
So what did they wear beneath all that clinging lycra to ensure shapely curves?
"Well, I just pinch my cheeks and walk out the door," Darling purred, but Turbo had the final word.
"But you can't see them because she's wearing clothes."
