In devastating news for fans of antipodean transvestism and thespian-ism alike, The New York Times is reporting that the Broadway Musical version of ‘The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,’ adapted from Stephan Elliott’s 1994 comedy about a gaggle of drag performers on an odyssey through the red centre of Australia in a chrome bus mounted with a giant stiletto – you know, that really inconspicuous one – will play its final show on Broadway on June 24th.
After opening in March 2011, Priscilla took out the Tony Award for best costume design (probably for unprecedented use of taffeta and hula-hoops), with original cast member Tony Sheldon also nominated for best leading actor in a musical. At the end of its run, Priscilla will have played to almost 550 audiences, which sadly isn’t enough for the production to capitalize on its production costs, which came in at around $15 million.
The fallout from the musical’s closure doesn’t end on the corner of Broadway and 7th, with Channel 10’s triple threat talent search for the next big wig star ‘I Will Survive‘ also losing its drawcard prize in the process.
Hosted by Hugh Sheridan, a spokesperson for the show said that while “it’s unfortunate news… that’s the nature of show business and we were aware this was a possibility. [Like all good reality TV shows] The journey of the contestants is the backbone of this program.”
Combined with the loss of Donna Summer, this has not been a good day for disco.
Via The Herald Sun
