I forget that there are adults who never saw the film when it shrieked onto our cinema screens 20 years ago.

If you were busy that year, then you might have an inkling that this show is unusual. It isn’t.

Priscilla is from Planet Camp in the Gayest Galaxy of Surreality.

The musical sees three drag queens – one gay, one not telling and one transsexual – tear across the Australian Outback, from Sydney to Alice Springs, in a clapped out bus, as a favour for the wife of Tick.

We learn that Tick (played by Jason Donovan) has a son, who he meets and immediately bonds with. But when ingrained machismo collides with the three drag queens along the way, it ain’t no happy ever after.

Visually, the musical is a huge kitsch fantasy a thousand miles from reality with hundreds of amazing costumes and insane wigs.

Thus, when the trio kill some downtime painting off homophobic graffiti from the bus, we have a dance routine and song with eight shimmying adult paintbrushes as the bus turns flashing pink. What’s not to love?

As well as the three queens, there is a super supporting cast including The Three Divas, above right, who have a cute Valkyrie air about them. Boy, can they sing, especially the divinely voiced Ellie Leah.

The score is a diverse jukebox of everything from Cyndi Lauper’s True Colours to Thank God I’m a Country Boy.

The iconic moment from the film when Priscilla zooms, billowing silk and playing opera (La Traviata) in the outback is also here, an homage to a perfect moment of cinema.

There are some knockout performances. Donovan has brought an army of screaming fans and he plays gay very convincingly. His voice isn’t the best, but he brings true Oz celebrity.

Richard Grieve plays tranny Bernadette as a sophisticate who could outclass many natural women, myself included. Graham Weaver is a knockout as the supercamp, naughty whippersnapper Felicia.

This show is a heady, ubercamp fantasy. Bittersweet happiness in a pair of giant bell-bottoms, a spangly slice of heaven. Utterly darling.

  • Until Feb 15. Box office 08448-112121 and online theatreroyal.co.uk

Sarah Scott