When it came time to choose a musical to put on this summer, the team at San Francisco’s Theatre Rhinoceros knew they wanted to pull out all the stops for their 40th anniversary. And that’s how this queer theatrical institution decided on Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
It’s a show about two drag queens and a transgender woman who hop on a bus to travel across Australia, lip syncing to 70s diva anthems and having adventures along the way. But behind the glitter and costumes and feel-good music, there’s a message of equality and inclusion that Theatre Rhinoceros tries to evoke with all of its shows. Executive Director John Fisher sat down with KALW’s Ninna Gaensler-Debs to reflect on 40 years of queer theater.
FISHER: We're still playing to the gay men who find sexuality both exciting and amusing, and the lesbian audience which is titillated and excited by jokes directed at them and for them.
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is showing at the Eureka Theater through July 1st. For more information, click here.