After nearly two decades of no Mardi Gras celebration in Hilo, the historic Palace Theater is bringing back some costume fun on Tuesday, Feb. 12.
After nearly two decades of no Mardi Gras celebration in Hilo, the historic Palace Theater is bringing back some costume fun on Tuesday, Feb. 12.
The event kicks off with a costume parade through downtown Hilo. The parade, starting at 5:30 p.m., goes from the parking lot above the Hilo Farmers Market on Mamo Street, along the covered sidewalks, into the Palace lobby.
This year’s special king and queen of Mardi Gras will be radio personality DC Carlson of B-97 and Yisa Var, local musician, actress and editor of Big Island Weekly.
“After the parade, revelers are encouraged to attend the 7 p.m. screening of the hilarious cult movie, ‘The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert,’” said Marcia Prose, board member of the Palace and head of the Mardi Gras event committee. “You don’t want to miss this 1994 Australian comedy drama starring Terence Stamp, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving, directed by Stephan Elliot.”
“The usually menacing British actor Terence Stamp does a complete turnaround as Bernadette, an aging transsexual who tours the backwaters of Australia with her stage partners, Mitzi (Hugo Weaving) and Adam/Felicia (Guy Pearce). Mitzi, Felicia and Bernadette go to Alice Springs in their bus, affectionately named Priscilla, to perform a drag show out in the middle of the desert in Australia,” said Karen Moore, executive director of the Palace.
“Even if you have seen this movie before, there is nothing like seeing the classic scene of Felicia riding on top of the bus with a huge, wind-blown fabric trailing out behind him … on our big screen,” Moore said.
Tickets to the movie are $12, but come in costume and pay only $10.
“We plan to make this event an annual one, just like our presentation of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ on Halloween night,” Prose said.
Tickets can also be bought in advance for $10 by calling the Palace office at 934-7010. This is a benefit for the Palace Theater. See the Palace’s website www.hilopalace.com for more details.