Priscilla The Party! to close in London, four months earlier than expected

Party is ending early for immersive jukebox show based on camp classic ‘Priscilla: Queen of the Desert’

The immersive jukebox show Priscilla The Party! will be ending more than four months earlier than expected, with organisers citing financial difficulties as its reason for closure.

Staged at the new central London venue Here at Outernet, the show is an immersive reimagining of the hit Australia-set musical, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.

Though it launched to warm reviews in March, Priscilla The Party! will play its final show on 26 May.

In a statement released on Monday (29 April), a spokesperson for the show said: “It is with regret and sadness that we must give notice of closure for Priscilla the Party! Our final performance will be the 1pm show on Sunday 26 May.

“The producers have supported the show financially since opening, but sadly that is no longer sustainable.

“We very much regret this reality, but the production has been facing difficult times,” the statement continues. “We can find comfort in knowing that the decision to close has nothing at all to do with the show itself. The extraordinary reviews and overwhelming positive response from audiences is solid proof of that.”

Priscilla The Party! and its previous stage musical are adapted from the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The stage version tells the story of two drag queens and a trans woman who take a road trip across Australia to perform at a drag show.

Priscilla The Party! will close four months early, in May (Getty Images)

The musical has been widely praised for its soundtrack, comprised of well-known camp classics (including “I Will Survive” and “It’s Raining Men”), as well as its themes of love, acceptance and individuality.

Notably, it was honoured on a 2020 episode of Strictly Come Dancing as the professional dancers opened the show with a routine reminiscent of the musical, with some dancers appearing in drag.

The closure of Priscilla The Party! follows the recent announcement that the Sheridan Smith vehicle Opening Night will have its closing night two months early, with producers Wessex Grove explaining that the decision comes amid a “challenging financial landscape”.

Similarly, The Temptations jukebox musical Ain’t Too Proud closed more than three months early last September, while the five-star Gershwin tap musical Crazy for You closed three weeks early in late 2023 at the end of last year.