Dusty Springfield is alive and well in Sydney!

Dusty Springfield is alive and well in Sydney! Well the musical based on her life is anyways!

What a fantastic night!

I was lucky enough to score some complimentary tickets for the preview performance of "Dusty" last night, and all I can say is - MAKE SURE YOU SEE THIS SHOW!

Although the First Act of the show went a bit too slow for my liking, this original, Australian-made musical tells a dramatic and theatrical story quite beautifully. I was reduced to tears a few times during the show - which is rare for me..

I'll be the first to admit, even though Dusty Springfield is a Gay icon (let alone a Drag Queen icon), her story escaped my attention. I knew of much of her music, but little of the woman who sung it. The musical "Dusty" was a wonderful insight into this much loved performer.

Taking us on her journey through life as a innocent child with a dream, to a up-and-coming star, and through the emergence of her homosexuality, coupled with her drug and alcohol abuse, one could not help but laugh and cry as the story played on.

Great pride filled the air as a cheering (mainly gay) audience applauded the beautifully crafted onstage lesbian kiss. I have never seen girl-on-girl action in a mainstream musical before, so the symbolic nature of this was profoundly moving for me (and for other people). A few tears of pride were shed..

Then there was the scenes that dealt with Dusty's drug and alcohol abuse, which again moved me to tears. The simplistic and genuinely compassionate direction of these scenes were a true reflection of the love and admiration, that the Producers of this musical, have for this pop Icon.

The final tears however were saved for the ending. For some reason I felt like I was really saying goodbye to a fantastic performer. The fact that it had drawn such emotion from me is testament to a sincere tribute and emotionally solid performance. The cast of course was brilliant too! Let's not forget them! After all, they are the reason there were more than a few sobbing faces in the audience when the house lights came up!

To be fair, there would be some work I think needed to streamline the show, particularly in Act One. Would that come at a cost to the content of the show? I'm not sure..

What do you think? You haven't seen it yet? Then get a ticket and go along.. It's a great show! You won't be disappointed at all!

(Tickets from TICKETMASTER - Ph: 136100 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com.au)