by Priscilla

Mar.21, 2011, under Cast Blog

A Diva does way more than I thought! We are one of the main female elements of the show, but we also play different parts within the ensemble. We’re the first people that the audience sees when we fly down at the opening of the show. We sing a couple of songs, then run down the stairs and get changed for the funeral scene, sing another song and then go off get changed for Go West, before going off again to get changed as a Diva again. So basically, Act One consists of running off stage and changing a lot. It almost seems like we have a break when we are on stage.

Lucinda Shaw

I am from Australia, so I was aware of Priscilla out there, because there are not many original Australian musicals. I saw the show a lot of times in Australia. I also know a lot of people on the creative team. Ross Coleman, the choreographer, who sadly passed away recently was a great mentor and friend. So to be doing a show here in London that he helped create feels great.

I love the flying aspect of the Divas. A lot of people have to sit at a desk all day at work and we get to fly in the Palace Theatre in front of cheering audiences. So I feel very lucky. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be. I had flown before in panto as the good fairy, so I was used to flying for that, but we go up a lot of higher in Priscilla.

The costumes are challenging. It feels like a constant fight. They are so beautiful and grand, but that also makes them difficult to move in and manoeuvre up and down stairs. At the same time you get to catch yourself in the mirror every now and again and you realise how outrageous and fabulous these costumes are. One of my favourite, but also most daunting parts of the show is, Say A Little Prayer. When I come off afterwards I’m like, I love that bit, but prior to it I’m like, oh god, because there is the revolve, the dress and the choreography to cope with as well as the singing. The revolve is moving really fast. All the Divas joke that if one of us ever falls over, because of the speed of the revolve, we’re going to end up taking each other out like dominos.

The Divas and Priscilla (Australia Production)

In Australia I started working in We Will Rock You. Then I did a musical called Dusty, which is based on the life of Dusty Springfield. I went back to We Will Rock You with the Australian company, who toured Japan. I then got my first lead, which was Lady of the Lake in the original Australian production of Spamalot. That was fabulous, but the run wasn’t as long as we had hoped, which was a massive disappointment. It was also one of the reasons I wanted to move to London, because it feels like theatre is more supported here and a show has a better chance of getting up and running for a while. When I came to London it was like starting all over again. I did panto to start with and then things happened bit by bit until I got Priscilla.

People should come and see Priscilla, because when I used to come and watch the show as an audience member you see everyone walk out at the end and no one leaves without a smile on their face. Now I’m in it, it’s amazing to watch the auditorium at the end of every show and see over a thousand people on their feet clapping and screaming. It is brilliant and it’s a show you can see time and time again and never get bored.