The City Adventurers were lucky enough to get tickets for Priscilla The Party. This is an all-singing, all-dancing immersive musical theatre event at HERE at Outernet in London’s Soho. That’s right, 30 years after the film Priscilla Queen of the Desert hit our screens it is now a Party!
Getting there and venue
We were only saying the other week we wondered what the large building was opposite Tottenham Court Road underground. You know the one, just as you come out of Exit 4, that has space to meet your friends while chilling out watching videos. Well, just follow the alley way down between the buildings and you find yourself HERE. Or should I say at HERE which is a brand new live events space, situated beneath Denmark Street. The venue extends four stories under the centre of London.
We were not sure what to expect or what time to arrive really. As we were going on a weekday evening the performance was due to start at 7pm. However, we were advised to arrive with ample time to get comfortable and use the amenities before the show began. There was also mention of pre-show entertainment from 30 minutes before. Consequently, we aimed for 6.30pm.
We got there early, not wanting to miss anything. There was a small queue to get in when we arrived. Smaller than most theater queues if I’m honest. We had our tickets scanned and were given wrist bands to show which area we had been allocated and then passed through bag checks.
We followed the stairs down (there is a lift) and arrived at the vast dance floor area. Having tickets for seats, we were directed to the seated area on each side of the stage. All seats are unreserved but there was no difficulty finding seats together.
Across the back of the hall is a long bar. To one side is another smaller bar where you can order food and buy merchandise. To the other side, near the entrance was a cloakroom. A necessary facility if you have standing tickets so you can drop your coats off.
The pre-show entertainment was some disco classics to get you in the mood to party. People were milling around rather than dancing – well it was early to hit the floor – and ordering drinks/food and soaking up the atmosphere.
Making use of the amenities, the toilets are gender neutral and arranged cubicles or urinals.
The bar does a roaring trade in cocktails. We chose wine, which comes by the can. It also serves beer. At the first interval we ordered bar snacks. The nachos were tasty, the vegan sliders a little messy, but nice.
The Show
By the time the show started the place was filling up nicely.
From our seats we could see the Mezzanine diners in the balcony with their bird’s eye view of the action. Our seats were right next to the stage and so we had a great view of the show. You could see everything perfectly and feel part of the action. Maybe not as part of the action as those on the dance floor, who got moved around as the stage moved around and between them. But, on the plus side, we had seats, so we were more than happy.
The show itself is based on the Oscar-winning movie Priscilla Queen of the Desert. It follows the uplifting story of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus in search of love and friendship and end up finding more than they could have ever dreamed of.
The show is high energy, with a fabulous cast. There is an amazing number of costume changes. (The website says over 500 award-winning costumes and 200 extraordinary head-dresses). The costumes are to be seen to be believed.
The music is a soundtrack of feel good dancefloor favourites that makes you dance in your seat if not dancing on the dance floor.
This is an iconic, joyous and award-winning hit musical. I loved it.
The show runs for around 2 hours 45 minutes, including 2 small intervals, and a 30 minute dance party after the show. And yes, I had to be dragged off the dance floor.
Tickets are available from https://www.priscillatheparty.com/
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The UK based Social Club for people who love exploring new places, discovering new things and solving mysteries.
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