In the words of one of its plethora of disco floor-fillers, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is finally coming to the Woking Theatre.

Priscilla is not a woman but a run-down old bus in which drag queens Tick and Adam and their transgender friend Bernadette take their spectacular Sydney-based show across the Australian outback for a gig in Alice Springs and the adventure of a lifetime.

The show will be enjoyed in Woking from May 11 to 16 - more than six years later than planned.

For Priscilla was about to start its run in Woking on March 23, 2020 - the night that then prime minister Boris Johnson sent the United Kingdom into Covid lockdown.

Nick Hayes, who will play Felicia/Adam, was also in the cast on that dramatic evening when the entire nation was told to stay indoors.

Nick explained that the opening night and subsequent dates in Woking fell victim to the most last-minute of cancellations.

He said: “We rocked up in Woking on the Monday, checked in to the Travelodge and had our 6pm warm-up. Everything seemed completely normal.

“We had an hour’s break so I ran out to get some food. Then we got the half-hour call. I’m fully made-up, great glittery lip, ridiculous costume - in drag, basically.

“Then we got the five-minute call and suddenly it gets a bit chaotic, people running round knocking on each other’s doors saying the producers are here.

“We could hear the pre-show music and the hustle and bustle of the audience - the theatre was full. Then everything went silent.

“The audience got quieter and quieter. I’m sat in the dressing room, it’s 7.30 and I’m thinking the show should have started by now. Then they say some information’s come in.”

Confusion reigned backstage as time passed and the cast did not know what was going on.

Nick said: “Then there was an announcement on the Tannoy - can we come to the stage? The producers were there. We’re stood there in headdresses and full drag. They said we’re not going on tonight.

“They would have been in legal trouble if we’d gone on that night. We were sitting there shell-shocked. One of our producers was in tears.”

But amid the trauma came an inspired moment which lightened the mood.

Nick said: “The crew cracked open some bottles of beer behind the front cloth and suddenly the stage crew and a load of drag queens were having a party while the audience was filtering out of the building!”

With the pandemic in the past the Priscilla party can now start for real in Woking. Adele Anderson will play Bernadette and 2018 Strictly Come Dancing champion Kevin Clifton will be Tick/Mitzi in a show packed with nightclub hits from the 70s, 80s and early 90s.

Nick said: “For me Priscilla is about family and friendship. But there’s also dance hall classics, insane costumes and all the glitter and lights that go with it, so it’s really cool!”

For tickets, priced from £15.60, visit www.atgtickets.com