‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’ Heading Out for U.K. Tour

An upcoming U.K. tour of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” will open February 9, 2013 at the Manchester Opera House. Jason Donovan, Graham Weaver and Richard Grieve will star in this touring version of the musical.

The production currently has shows scheduled through a Torquay, England stop April 29-May 4 at the Torquay Princess Theatre. The official website for the touring version promises “further dates to be announced.” Other dates will be held at the Oxford New Theatre, Edinburgh Playhouse, New Wimbleton Theatre and Bristol Hippodrome, among others.

The musical is based on the 1994 Australian movie “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” and a production ran at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End for three years before closing in 2011.

Producers describe the musical as “the heart-warming, uplifting adventure of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship and end up finding more than they could have ever dreamed of. With a dazzling array of outrageous costumes and a hit parade of dancefloor favorites, this wildly fresh and funny new musical is a journey to the heart of fabulous!”

The musical includes songs by Tina Turner, Madonna, Donna Summer, the Village People and Cyndi Lauper. Musical supervision and arrangements are by Stephen “Spud” Murphy. The play is written by Stephan Elliot and Allan Scott, and Simon Phillips directed the Australian, West End and Broadway productions of the musical.

The original version premiered in Sydney in 2006 and ran nearly a year before transferring to Melbourne, Auckland and then back to Sydney before closing in 2008. The Broadway version opened in March 2011 after a 12-week pre-Broadway tryout held previously in Toronto. A U.S. tour also is coming next year, kicking off January 8 in Minneapolis at the Orpheum Theatre.