THE adventures of Mitzi, Felicia and Bernadette, three jocks in extravagant frocks, trounced the competition at the annual Green Room Awards for theatre in Melbourne yesterday.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Musical won six of 10 awards in the music theatre category, including best production, ensemble, costumes, choreography musical direction and best actor, which went to Tony Sheldon for his role as Bernadette.

Audiences never seem to tire of Priscilla, which is based on the 1994 Australian film about three drag queens who travel in a bus to Alice Springs. In 2006, the story was adapted into a lavish $6million stage production by the film's writer and director, Stephan Elliott. After a shaky start at Sydney's Lyric Theatre in October of that year, the show overcame technical problems and lukewarm critical response to become the most financially successful Australian musical.

Producer Garry McQuinn said: "I can tell you that by the time we leave Australia we think it's very likely that one million people will have seen the show. Figures that have been pushed around the press of $80 million - well, that's probably not far from the truth."

McQuinn said Priscilla, The Musical was not message theatre "but there's a message there".

"There is something gloriously fantastical about the journey of three drag queens through the desert, two totally conflicting notions," he said.

"That's not something you might think is meat and potatoes to a general audience, yet somehow it's crossed over to that audience. I think they get that it is about family, about connecting with and rediscovering family."

The musical is playing at the Regent in Melbourne; it moves to New Zealand in April, and a new production is set to open in London next year, with other destinations later. "It's baby steps now," McQuinn said.

"When you create a new work, you don't want to be arrogant enough to think that's it, we've finished. We've learnt the story works, but whether it will work for London or Stockholm audiences is still to be discovered."

The Green Room Lifetime achievement award went to Toni Lamond, 75, marking more than 50 years in show business.

Cabaret performer Meow Meow won three awards for her solo show Meow Meow Beyond Beyond Glamour: the Remix.

Five awards went to Opera Australia's production of Rusalka, and Raimondo Cortese and Adriano Cortese's play Holiday was acknowledged for new writing and independent theatre.