by Priscilla

May.17, 2010, under Homepage

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE IN TORONTO FALL 2010

BROADWAY SPRING 2011

Olivier Award nominee Tony Sheldon and Tony Award^® nominee Will Swenson (Hair) will lead the cast of the pre-Broadway North American company of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical, written by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott and directed by Simon Phillips.

Canadian TV star C. David Johnson (“Street Legal”) will play the role of “Bob” opposite Tony Sheldon, who originated the role of “Bernadette” in the original Australian production and starred on London’s West End. Fellow Canadian actors Thom Allison, Susan Dunstan and David Lopez also join the company.

The spectacular new stage musical will begin performances at The Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto for a twelve-week only, pre-Broadway engagement beginning October 12, 2010 and officially opening on October 26 at 6:30pm. Tickets are now on sale.

Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical will open on Broadway in Spring 2011 at a theater to be announced.

Tony Sheldon is appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance to this production.

Earlier this year PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL won the Best Musical Award, voted for by Whatsonstage.com readers. 

Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical will also feature James Brown III (“Jimmy”), Nathan Lee Graham (“Miss Understanding”), J. Elaine Marcos (“Cynthia”), Jessica Phillips (“Marion”), Steve Schepis (“Farrah”), Keala Settle (“Shirley”), “Divas” Jacqueline Arnold and Anastacia McCleskey and Nick Adams, Kyle Brown, Joshua Buscher, Eric Sciotto, Bryan West, Wayne Wilcox and Tad Wilson. Additional principal casting will be announced shortly.

Australian star Tony Sheldon (Olivier Award nominee for Priscilla) will make his Broadway debut as “Bernadette,” the role he originated in the original Australian production and played in London’s West End. The Daily Telegraph called the hit musical “Insanely euphoric…wildly contagious.” The Sydney Morning Herald raved “Tony Sheldon is sensational. It is a wonderfully charismatic performance and he takes full command every chance he gets to give the work its anchor, humor and heart.”

Will Swenson, who will play “Tick”/ “Mitzi” is currently starring in Hair in the West End direct from the Tony Award^® winning Broadway production and was recently seen on Broadway in the revival of 110 in the Shade and the original musicals Lestat and Brooklyn.

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL is a heart-warming, uplifting adventure of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship in the middle of the Australian outback and end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed.  With a dazzling array of outrageous costumes and featuring a score of dance-floor classics, Priscilla is a sensational journey to the heart of fabulous.

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL, adapted from the Academy Award^® winning film “The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert,” starring Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, is written by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott.  Direction is by Simon Phillips, choreography is by Ross Coleman, musical supervision and arrangements are by Stephen ‘Spud’ Murphy and set design is by Brian Thomson. Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner have re-created their Academy Award^® winning costume designs, which were originally designed for the film.  Lighting is designed by Nick Schlieper and sound design is by Jonathan Deans. BAFTA Award winning make up design is recreated by Cassie Hanlon.

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL had its world premiere in Sydney in October 2006 and has subsequently wowed audiences and critics alike in Melbourne and New Zealand, becoming the most successful Australian musical of all time.  Following a return Sydney season last year due to popular demand, the London production recently celebrated its first year in the West End at the Palace Theatre.  Along with Toronto and Broadway, further international dates are also in discussion for productions in Brazil, Scandinavia and Germany.

Along with winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Costume Design for Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, the musical was also nominated for Best New Musical and Tony Sheldon was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical.

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL is produced by Liz Koops and Garry McQuinn for Back Row Productions, Michael Hamlyn for Specific Films, Allan Scott Productions, David Mirvish, Roy Furman, Terry Allen Kramer, Nederlander Organization, Tim Childs / Ken Greiner / Chip Meyrelles, Bartner Group LLC, Chugg Entertainment, Bruce Davy, Michael Buckley, Stewart Lane, Thierry Suc and Volcano Project /TS3.

BIOGRAPHIES

TONY SHELDON created the role of “Bernadette” in the original cast of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical in Australia and starred for two years in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland before transferring to London’s West End where he was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Other theatre includes: “Roger De Bris” in Mel Brooks’ The Producers, directed by Susan Stroman (Australian tour), “Clyde” in The Witches of Eastwick (Melbourne),  “Garry” in Noises Off (Sydney Opera House), Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, A Comedy of Errors, Henry IV and Candide (Nimrod Theatre), “Edmund” in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, “Manolo” in The Odd Couple, “Hero” in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, “Maitland” in The Chalk Garden, “Gordon” in Neville’s Island,  “Dick” in Dames at Sea, “The Negro” in The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd (Marian Street Theatre), “Geoffrey” in The Sisters Rosensweig, “John Barrymore” in I Hate Hamlet with Guy Pearce (Melbourne Theatre Company),  “Elyot” in Private Lives,  “The Baker” in Into the Woods, “Laurence Vail” in Once in a Lifetime, “Florindo” in The Venetian Twins, “Paul” in Company, “Joe” in Merrily We Roll Along, “Mendel” in Falsettos (Sydney Theatre Company), “Arnold” in Torch Song Trilogy (Australian Tour), “Lt. Ralph Clark of the First Fleet” in the one-man play A Singular Voyage (Sydney Festival),  “Aunt Augusta” in Travels with My Aunt (Australian tour),  “Mr. Myers” in Fame - The Musical (Australian Tour), “Jonathan Harker” in Dracula directed by Sir Robert Helpmann (Australian tour),  “Sergei” in Wild Honey (South Australian Theatre Company), “Alvin” in I Love My Wife (Australian tour), “Clifford” in Deathtrap (Queensland Theatre Company), “Tom” in The Glass Menagerie, “Alan” in Equus (Hunter Valley Theatre Company), “El Gallo” in The Fantasticks (Newtown Theatre) and “Donald” in Spoiled (Independent Theatre). Awards  include:  The Sydney Critics Award, The Green Room Award, Glugs Award and Mo Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical, 2007), the Helpmann, Mo and Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical (The Producers, 2005), the Norman Kessel Award for Outstanding Performance  in a Play (Noises Off, 2001), Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actor in a musical (Falsettos, 1994), Variety Club and Green Room Award as Best Actor in a Play (Torch Song Trilogy, 1983), National Theatre Award for Best Actor (Inner Voices, 1977) and many other nominations. Extensive directing and writing credits.

WILL SWENSON (Tick/Mitzi) was most recently seen on Broadway and the West End as “Berger” in the hit revival of Hair: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical for which he earned a Tony Award^® nomination. Broadway: 110 in The Shade, Brooklyn: The Musical, Lestat.  Off-Broadway, tours, concerts: Rock of Ages, Camelot (New York Philharmonic), The Slugbearers of Kayrol Island, Adrift In Macao, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Miss Saigon, We Will Rock You, Fame.  Will is also a filmmaker.  His first feature film Sons of Provo (a mockumentary about a Mormon boy band), which he wrote and directed, won several film festivals, was released in 2005 and is now available on DVD.  Other Film:  The Baster, The Singles Ward, The R. M.  Television: “Law & Order: CI,” “Six Degrees,” “The Beautiful Life” and numerous soap operas.

C. DAVID JOHNSON (Bob). Canadian actor C. David Johnson became a household name when he landed the leading role of “Chuck Tchobanian” on the dramatic television series “Street Legal.” The show went on to become one of the most successful TV series in Canadian history. The series ran for eight years and Johnson received four consecutive Gemini nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role. In great demand following the success of “Street Legal,” Johnson was cast as a regular on the family series “Mysterious Island.” In 1998 he starred alongside Ted Danson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Brian Dennehy in the feature film Thanks of a Grateful Nation, an examination of the aftermath of Desert Storm and its effects on the men and women who served in the Gulf War. Johnson has guest starred on numerous TV series including “The Best Years,” “Zoe Busiek: Wild Card,” “The Dresden Files” and starred in several movies of the week including “The Julie Posey Story” (Lifetime), “The Man Who Saved Christmas” with Jason Alexander and Ed Asner (CBS) and “Terminal Invasion” (Sci-Fi Channel). Johnson made his professional theatre debut with Theatre New Brunswick where he starred in such productions as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Misery, Sleuth and in Peter Pan as “Captain Hook.” He has continued to perform for over thirty years in theatres across Canada and has appeared on the stages of Canada’s most illustrious theatre companies including Soulpepper in Toronto, the National Arts Centre and North America’s largest classical repertory theatre, the Stratford Festival. At Soulpepper, Johnson won rave reviews for his performances in such productions as Jitters, Mary Stuart, King Lear, Three Penny Opera, The Real Thing, The Way of the World and The Play’s The Thing for which he received a prestigious DORA Nomination. At Stratford Festival, Johnson landed the coveted role of “Captain Von Trapp” in The Sound of Music and appeared in productions of Inherit the Wind, Henry IV and Two Gentlemen of Verona. Most recently, he guest starred on an episode of Spike TV’s new comedy “Blue Mountain State.” He can also be heard as a guest host on CBC Radio’s current events program “As it Happens.” On the air for more than 40 years, “As it Happens” is a Canadian institution and is broadcast in the United States through American Public Media.

THOM ALLISON (Ensemble, Bernadette understudy) appeared in the original Canadian companies of Miss Saigon, The Who’s Tommy and Rent as well as the 2^nd National U.S. Tour of Rent. He was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for playing “Robin” in the world premiere of Outrageous, and again for the Canadian premiere of Elegies: A Song Cycle, received two Betty Mitchell Award nominations for playing “Che” in Evita, and “the Emcee” in Cabaret and a Jessie Richardson Award nomination and Ovation Award Nomination for playing “Aldolpho” in The Drowsy Chaperone. At The Stratford Festival, Mr. Allison has appeared in Romeo and Juliet, Pericles, My Fair Lady, Threepenny Opera, The King and I, Macbeth, and King Henry VIII. He received critical acclaim as “The Wolf” and “Cinderella’s Prince” in the much heralded Stratford Festival production of Into the Woods.  At the Shaw Festival, he was seen in Wonderful Town and as “Carl-Magnus” in A Little Night Music. Some other credits include A New Brain, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Dreamgirls, The Wizard of Oz, Side By Side By Sondheim and the Canadian premieres of Songs For A New World and Take Me Out.  His CD “A Whole Lotta Sunlight” can be purchased by visiting his website www.thomallison.com.

SUSAN DUNSTAN (Swing) is thrilled to be a part of Priscilla! She is also excited to be performing in Toronto after spending last year on the U.S. National Tour of The Lion King. Past Show/Workshop credits: Lord Of the Rings and The Lion King (“Shenzi”) both at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Annie Get Your Gun (Massey Hall), Ragtime (Livent), Lou Lou (Banff Centre), Perfect Life (Poor Alex), Night On Broadway (Sudbury Theatre Centre), South Pacific (“Bloody Mary,” Orillia Opera House), Godspell and Into The Woods(“Witch,” Da Capo), Repeat The Beat(Paramount), Journey From AMU(Toronto Tour), Warbrides(Masquers Productions), Spirit Of A Nation(National Tour), Somewhere In The World(Canada Girl) and The Princess and the Handmaiden(“Handmaiden”)both at the Charlottetown Festival.

DAVID LOPEZ (Swing). Having appeared on numerous stages across the country, David is always thrilled to return to Toronto and his hometown crowd. Selected favourite credits include Cats (“Munkustrap”), The Jungle Book, (“Shere Khan”), Lucky Stiff (“Vinnie”), Kiss Me Kate (“Paul”), The Buddy Holly Story (M.C.), as well as Smokey Joe’s Cafe and Hey!, Mr. Producer.  He is a veteran of the Shaw Festival (High Society, Design for Living) as well as two seasons at CanStage (The Rocky Horror Show, Ain’t Misbehavin’). His film work includes work in Once Upon a Mattress for ABC/Disney Pictures, in addition to several projects for CBC.  David received a Dora Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance in Ain’t Misbehavin’.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL are now on sale.

Prices are $20 to $130.

Call Ticketking at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333.

Online sales at www.mirvish.com

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL will begin performances October 12, 2010 at the Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King Street West, Toronto

The weekly performance schedule will be: Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 PM;

matinees Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 PM

Added performances: Sunday October 17 7:30 PM/Thursday October 28 2 PM

Please note: The Sunday October 17 matinee will begin at 1:30 PM. There is no matinee performance on Wednesday October 13 and Wednesday October 27