MovieChat Forums > The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) Discussion > Worst drag act ever

Worst drag act ever

posted 16 years ago by stace-3
20 replies | jump to latest

The makeup and costumes were amazing, but the performance itself was stunningly boring and amateurish. It was no better than if the director had plucked three random guys off the street and told them to put together a lip-synch act.

If the people who produced this movie would have put in half the effort into the actual show that they did on the costumes, it would have been a much better movie. In real life, no one would have paid money to see it.

"It's such a fine line between stupid, and clever."--David St. Hubbins

[–] mgbphd 16 years ago

perhaps you missed a deeper meaning of the film --- being the interaction of the different personalities. One of those, 'You had to be there' things.

When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property - Thomas Jefferson

[–] rwsmith29456 16 years ago

I agree. It was more about personalities and that was much more interesting to me than any lip-sync act.

[–] mark24 16 years ago

With all due respect, you obviously have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to acting performances in the movie industry. Considering all three of the main actors are straight in real life, thier performances (especially Terrance Stamp) were simply fantastic.

But we are all entitled to our own opinion.

[–] stace-3 16 years ago

I wasn't saying that the performances of the actors were bad -- they were brilliant in portraying their characters. I think it takes a gifted actor to be able to play both super-macho characters and more effeminate ones. A good example is William Hurt in "Body Heat" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman"

What I was trying to say was the show their characters put on was lame, especially given how fabulous the costumes were. It was just some lip-synching and very rudimentary choreography. Compare it, for example, to the shows that were put on in "Victor/Victoria". I would have been bored and disappointed if I had actually paid money to see this act.

"It's such a fine line between stupid, and clever."--David St. Hubbins

[–] gumnutgirl16 16 years ago

geez, it's just part of the movie. I liked it...but going by the audiences reaction, they didn't like it...hehe. But it's all just part of the story.

Tom Hanks = Best Actor Ever

[–] flyingmonkey1 16 years ago

I agree with the OP, the movie was really good and the characters great, but the acts were kind of boring. They were lacking intensity, even if they were just walking around waving their arms they could have been more energetic. I have no idea if the actors could dance particularly well, but I notice that happens a lot in drag queen movies, like Kinky Boots, where the acting and the story are great but the show biz bit is pretty boring.

The only guy I have seen in a movie do a drag show exceptionally well is Tim Curry in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and that's only because the man is so freakishly awesome in that role.

I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is. - V

[–] GroovyDoom 16 years ago

I'm curious about where you've been seeing drag queens who manage to perform lip-sync routines that would not be considered "boring"!

[–] chocolate_velour 16 years ago

If their drag show is so famous that they've been summoned all the way across Australia to perform, one would think the choreography would be better than "annnnnnd take a little step forward, and a little step backward, and now let's wave our arms around!"

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] perorewen 16 years ago

I'd pay to see Hugo Weaving and Terence Stamp in drag anytime.

**********
They blew up Congress!!! HAHAHA!

[–] BrianT999999 16 years ago

I think that's 100% accurate. The cabaret performances themselves aren't meant to be that great; one of the performers just doesn't care, and the other two are amateurs at best.

I think that's why the film has what's presumably an actual drag queen performer lip-synching to that song during the end credits. Pay attention to that performance; it's very, very good. It seems to me the director wanted to highlight the fact that drag performers can be excellent at what they do; it's just that Mitzi and Felicia, well, aren't.

[–] cpetr13 16 years ago

I've seen a lot of drag shows, and few of them could be called triumphs of choreography. It is ALWAYS always always about the look and the personality. Watch the acts at the beginning and the end; they are both middling in terms of movement, but the emotional and performance levels could not be more different.

And, I might add, YOU try doing amazing choreography in size twelve high heeled pumps!...:)

What you see in most of the scenes is rehearsal, not performance. That makes all the difference. When they actually perform for the aborigines, they are fantastic. This is also one of the best uses of music fusion (disco/aboriginal) in movies.

[–] hdcom8 15 years ago

and don't forget performing a dance routine with a certain member of the male anatomy tucked up your backside...

it's hard to do anything spectacular in that situation...

besides: the movie tried to use real drag queens but none of them ever turned up to the auditions.

[–] BrawndoQC 15 years ago

You sound like an offended drag bitch.

[–] rwsmith29456 15 years ago

How good is a lip sync act supposed to be?

[–] Dr_RoButtnik 15 years ago

Another problem is four elaborate costume changes and only one song playing. Haha, I know it's just a movie, and they can get artistic license for that (it's much better to have one song during a performance montage then to keep switching, or have them lip-synching to different songs but having the one play).
Anywho, I still couldn't stop thinking "That would be really boring to watch a bunch of guys unenthusiastically lip-synch to a song, then go change for an hour and come back and sing the same song."
Cuz at that point, it's supposed to be the first night, since he brought up that she said the kid was supposed to be asleep. Plus they still seemed surprised that everybody was pretty 'meh' about the show.

"Weirdness was all he cared about. Weirdness and sex and plenty to drink."

[–] ltldog2 14 years ago

I agree...the costumes ruled, the caberet show was a yawn! "To Wong Foo" did it much better.

Taking back IMDB message boards....one ignored Troll at a time.