GLITZ, glam and flamboyance well and truly came to town as Andover Musical Theatre Company (AMTC) opened its production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

The huge cast kicked off its run with a sell-out audience on Wednesday night at The Lights and what a night it was! If you love 80s music and colourful costumes, then this is definitely the show for you.

As soon as the curtains went up were greeted by plenty of sparkle and powerful vocals at The Cockatoo Club, as the three divas played by Laura Bean, Louise Ellison and Rachel Fitzgerald came onto stage and delivered a brilliant performance of It’s Raining Men – which really got the audience excited for what was ahead.

Each of the cast brought a new energy as they took to the stage and that energy was infectious, making us laugh, singalong and fall in love with their characters and the storyline.

As we followed drag queens Tick, played by Paul Marsh, and Adam, played by Sebastian Blake, and a transgender woman, Bernadette, portrayed by Eddie Nias, across Australia in their rather unreliable bus, Priscilla, we were introduced to some beautiful relationships and comedic characters.

Eddie, who has worked in live theatre for 15 years, stood out among the amazing cast, we laughed, we cried and cheered on Bernadette. The chemistry between Bernadette and Bob, played by Ryan Boath, was so tender but with plenty of witty lines.

Sebastian’s performance as Adam or Felicia brought so many laughs but we also saw a vulnerability which tugged at the heartstrings. As for Paul as Tick or Mitzi, it was wonderful to see the character develop and bring so much joy and laughter, as well as so much passion in wanting to be the best dad for his son Benji, played by Tom Ellison.

What brought the whole production together for me was the amazing costumes, the time and effort that must have gone into them was definitely worth it! Right from the start there were plenty of sparkles and plenty of outlandish outfits, I particularly liked the flip flop dress worn by Tick.

Everyone involved, from the directors to the band and the actors to those behind the scenes should be proud of the production and the delight it brought to the audience.