Review: Priscilla Queen of the Desert

If you’re looking for a brilliant night out in Watford this week you could not do better than booking tickets to go and see Cassio Productions version of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. It's a fast paced, energetic, laugh a minute show which also has tender, touching moments, razor sharp wit and a story about inclusion, acceptance and love that feels essential vieiwng in today's divisive climate.

If you haven't seen the film, the story is essentially a road trip in which we follow three drag queens across the Australian outback in a dodgy old bus named Priscilla. The journey is initiated by Mitzi, played with a cuddly, disarming sweetness by John Montgomery, who has been invited by his wife to come and perform in Alice Springs so he can finally meet his son.

The star performance comes from Joseph Lucas as Felicia, who is quite frankly just an astounding performer in every respect. A true triple threat, he was belting out disco classics, throwing out catty one liners and high kicking in heels all in the same breath and looking fabulous doing it! I have not seen choreography executed with such sharp and perfection precision on the Watford Palace Theatre stage in a long time. He's an absolute firebrand, a pleasure to watch, and I can’t wait to see him in more productions in the future.

Although Mitzi is the spine of the show, giving it the necessary narrative drive, the character in this production who pulls most forcefully on the heart strings is Bernadette, sensitively and convincingly portrayed by a regal Richard Sellek. The dignity and humanity with which he imbues the character is, as the Australians say, 'knock out'. This was a woman who knew all about the challenges and set backs of life, but was still filled with an iron optimism. Her banter with Felicia creates many of the evening's funniest moments, but her gentle observations about life and love produce many of the most philosophical and inspirational. A deftly handled balance.

There are also several cameo roles for the company to get their teeth into. The three divas (Sarah Clampton, Sam Keyte and Georgia Tomlinson) astound in a staggering array of costumes from glittering angels to green cakes, and tackle some difficult disco harmonies with confidence and aplomb. Charlotte Silvey opens the show with fizz and frenzy as drag queen Miss Understanding, building a camp rapport with the audience that sets the right tone for the night. And Judi Campion is comedy gold as the backwater bogan Shirley, dressed in ripped denim and scratching her armpits as she shows a radically different side to what femininity can be. And of course the scene which everybody waits for with bated breath is played by a dazzling Debbie Day, whose charm and restraint make what could be a challenging role for many reasons fit comfortably within the show. Again, if you haven't seen the film, be warned: you may never see table tennis the same way again.

With costume and staging of professional quality, this is a brilliant night of disco madness, infused with sequins, towering wigs, superb choreography and generous humour. Definitely one not to be missed!

Review: Emma Smith 'Doing It My Way'

Watford Palace Theatre was once again abuzz with anticipation as the Watford Jazz Junction festival presented its gala evening for 2026.

The night commenced with Parmiter's School Big Band, conducted by Stuart Bates. Introduced by Chair of Watford Jazz Junction Orphy Robinson, it was made clear how important music education and supporting the next generation of jazz musicians is to the festival team. As they walked onto the stage beaming and gleaming, there was a duly enthusiastic round of applause to welcome them. But after they knocked us out with a 30 minute set of standards delivered with a laid-back confidence, virtuosic solos and a strong, characterful sound, the closing applause was of rapturous delight. It’s such a privilege to be able to watch young performers blossom in front of your eyes and genuinely feel you are at the beginning of what may well be incredible musical journeys for them. These are the stars of the next generation and Watford Jazz Junction has always made space to highlight and celebrate them. Particular standout moments were the cheeky rocky rhythms of Route 66, a surprisingly smooth and relaxed version of Mac the Knife, and a sharp and swinging rendition of Perdido.

After the interval came the main event: Emma Smith 'Doing It My Way'. And boy, did she! Not only is she a consummate vocalist, delivering pin point precision on her melodies before bending and contouring them into a plethora of inventive and unexpected lines, but she is also unparalleled when it comes to humour and building rapport with the audience. A local girl from Radlett and trained at the nearby Purcell School of Music, she was able to fill the auditorium with not only music but also a sense of homecoming. It really felt as if she had a special affection and love for the Palace Theatre and the Watford audience, and the sentiment clearly flowed both ways.

She regaled us with anecdotes and stories of her own family's musical background, including her grandfather, a trombonist who played on the James Bond soundtracks. Then it turned out Daniel Higham, the trombonist in her line up, was not only a dear friend from childhood, but had been gifted her grandfather's mouthpiece, the mouth piece he used when accompanying Frank Sinatra at the Royal Albert Hall... and which Higham was using tonight! Cue a uniquely delightful rendition of I've Got You Under My Skin. Such beautiful moments mixing memory, family and friendship kept popping throughout the evening, making it feel like a truly once in a lifetime event.

Smith took to the stage resplendent in a dazzling red gown, giving her the hour glass silhouette of a 1950s bombshell. If you picture a raven-haired Jessica Rabbit, you wouldn't go too far wrong. And indeed there is something flirtatiously seductive and playful in her banter, and more than a hint of burlesque in the swing of her waist, the sway of her arm and the tilt of her wrist. Utterly bewitching to watch as well as listen to. A good example would be her opening song, a swinging version of The Lady is a Tramp, with wittily updated lyrics that kept to the spirit of the original but made the comedy feel fresh.

She added Stormy Weather to her set, assuming her return to the UK would be met with rain, but in fact it was a lovely sunny day! So much so that more than a couple of summer flies took up residency on stage, almost scuppering her gorgeous rendition of the ballad Midnight Sun. She smartly put the interference down to the spirit of Ella Fitzgerald jealously guarding her riffs! There was a blink and you miss it quote from the theme tune of Bewitched in her version of Witchcraft, among a catalogue of other quotes, and Alexander's Ragtime Band was somehow Dixie and sultry in equal measure, a feat I would previously have considered impossible. She closed, as the title would encourage you to predict, with a brand new arrangement of My Way, and treated us to One More For the Road as an encore.

Her exceptional line up consisted of Rob Barron on piano, Tom Farmer on double bass (whose introduction to Honeysuckle Rose was mesmeric), Luke Tomlinson on drums, Graeme Blevins on alto, Tom Walsh on trumpet and Daniel Higham on trombone. Alex Garnett (as Emma Smith called him, the 'uncle' of the group) was on tenor, and doubled up not only as a vocalist on Moody's Mood for Love, but as serial gag man, bringing a glorious sense of the old style improvisational jazz jams to this polished and pristine performance.

Smith's astounding success (Parliamentary Jazz Vocalist of the Year 2024, collaborations with Buble, Quincy Jones Orchestra, Jeff Goldblum, four year stint on BBC Radio 3, touring with the Ronnie Scott's All Stars) secures her place as one of the great vocalists of her age. This performance reminded us she's also one of it's greatest entertainers.