Friday 2nd September 2011 by Will Langdale
A quick pick of what’s hot in the TicketTree.com office
It’s confirmed – Priscilla’s rolling out of town
It was late June when we first heard that Priscilla Queen of the Desert might not last until January, with the show’s producers informing the cast of its likely closure. There was nothing formal then, but there’s certainly something formal now! Previously at the Palace Theatre until early January, Priscilla Queen of the Desert plays its final show on New Year’s Eve, December 31st.
As with many shows that draw to a close, we tend to see more and more discounts becoming available as the end draws near. Love Never Dies had discounts on its Saturday night performances for its final few months! Priscilla extended its discounted dates to Fridays in early July, and we wouldn’t be surprised if we managed to get some hefty discounts for you at some point this Autumn, so definitely keep an eye out.
Priscilla is based on a similarly-named Australian 1994 comedy-drama film, and the musical first opened in Sidney in 1996. The London production opened in 2009, and the Broadway show opened earlier this year. The plot follows three drag queens on their road trip from Sydney to a casino resort in Alice Springs aboard their motor home, the eponymous Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Along the way the trio make new friends with some, while overcoming the prejudice of others, and as their journey continues they find out a little more about who they are, and the secrets some of them conceal.
BBC Children in Need at the West End
Exciting news today via The Stage – the BBC’s annual Children in Need telethon is getting involved at the West End, sending celebrities to four different shows in a bid to raise money for charity. The stars will not take part in the main show, instead singing a song for the curtain call.
Peter Andre, the pop singer and ex-husband of Katie Price, will be singing in Ghost the Musical on September 14th. Melanie C, who was a member of the massive pop group the Spice Girls, will sing in We Will Rock You on September 13th. X-Factor star Stacey Solomon will be singing in Wicked on September 10th, and the Sugarbabes will be in Mamma Mia! on September 15th.
Chicago-go-going to the Garrick
After closing at the end of August, Chicago has announced it’s simply picking up and moving to the Garrick Theatre! It’s being replaced at the Cambridge by the Roald Dahl-inspired Matilda the Musical, and recently ended its run with an appearance from American supermodel Christine Brinkley. Chicago’s November dates and casting will be announced soon, so watch this space.
Not so anonymous
Finally, in response to the upcoming film Anonymous, which questions the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has created a list of 60 questions put to 60 scholars, writers and actors, each answered in 60 seconds to answer the claim. Whether Stratfordian or otherwise, the result is illuminating, so have a listen!
Deal of the week
When we had it before it was to announce Friday discounts, but this time it’s for a little extra off no matter what day! If you’d like to catch Priscilla Queen of the Desert before the year is out, why not book this week and use the code QUEENBLOG to grab a 5% discount? Just head through the booking process and plug the code in at the end.