When you create a show honouring queer icons, how can you fit them all in a one-hour show? Multi-award-winning Adelaide performer Lindsay Prodea does a brilliant job along with his four-piece band, mashing up and medley-ing (I know its not a word but it sounds fun!) as many songs and artists in his world premiere Adelaide Fringe show; A Friend of Dorothy: Anthems of Pride.
The show was a fun filled emotional ride through queer history with wild stories, tragic tales and codes the community had to use to communicate with especially in the early 1900s, right through the years until homosexuality was decimalised in most countries. A Friend of Dorothy was one of those codes and Prodea narrates these stories with sensitivity and heartfelt pride.
There are so many queer icons and allies to honour but Prodea manages to fit in so many by mashing up Bronski Beat with Diana Ross or Candi Staton with Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor just to name a few. He was charming, cheeky and unashamedly camp, captivating us with his big bright infectious energy!
All the favourite icons were celebrated; Judy Garland, Big Mama Thornton, Dolly Parton, Cole Porter, Little Richard, Cher, Lady Gaga, Donna Summer, Madonna and so many more! There were songs that made you want to get up and dance, songs that made you cry and ones that brought back poignant memories of eras like Stonewall and AIDS. These were significant moments that had to be acknowledged and it was done with dignity and respect.
But it wasn’t all sad and sorrowful. The showstopping finale was a medley of so many upbeat popular queer anthems that people in the back rows got up to dance. So many songs and iconic queer anthems with way too many to mention but guaranteed though, your favourite was there!
A Friend of Dorothy: Anthems of Pride has been a sell-out every performance at Plant 4 in Bowden and for this show capacity had to be increased. It’s won an Adelaide Fringe Weekly Award and there’s only one show left on Sunday March 16 so be quick before this one sells out and Grab Ya Tix!