Airborne divas, Tina Turner wigs with a mind of their own and the biggest technicolour flares you’ll ever see. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert makes no secret of what it will deliver in terms of spectacle; plunging the audience straight in at the deep end with an all-singing, all-dancing rendition of It’s Raining Men.

From the offset, many of the costumes are spectacular – and rightly Tony and Olivier award-winning – but they are also frustratingly inconsistent.

The same can be said of the performances. There are some talented singers in the cast. However, the lead performances are hampered by variable abilities and a rather patchy script.

One liners such as “Take your hormones,” “I know I just heard a whore moan!” leave little room for character development, as is unfortunately the case with Jason Donovan’s Tick.

A few scant, slowed-down versions of songs like, I Say a Little Prayer and True Colours are more reminiscent of a pantomime, with Donovan in place of the unlucky Buttons.

Aside from the floating divas, the show-stealing performance belonged to Richard Grieve, whose surprisingly nuanced portrayal of ageing transsexual Bernadette was a welcome relief from an energetic, yet curiously flat delivery by the main cast.

This show relies heavily on its cult status, Kylie references and unashamedly cheesy 1970s score. If this sounds like the makings of a good Saturday night, then Priscilla might be a musical for you. If not, then I’d suggest knocking back a few lime daiquiris pre-curtain up.

Review by Laura Hounsom

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is at the Bristol Hippodrome until April 27. For more information, visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/priscilla-queen-of-the-desert/bristol-hippodrome/.