Vale Rose Jackson
One of the Sydney gay scene’s most loved theatre artists died peacefully early last Thursday morning (July 21) at St Vincent’s Hospice.
Perhaps best known as the star performer at Capriccios, the first gay club to open in Oxford St in the early 1970s, Rose’s career as both a costumier and entertainer boasted many highlights.
Born Barry Jackson on September 11 1935 at Paddington Women’s Hospital, Rose said she knew “from the minute she was born” that a male body was not right for her.
An athletic young man, Barry loved to swim and for a short period was even a Bondi lifesaver. But it was ‘too butch’. Instead, gay men introduced Barry to a secret Sydney world of parties, fine dining and fashion; and when he began going out in public as a woman. He took the name Rose, after Marilyn Monroe’s character in Niagara, Rose Loomis.
By the age of 18, Barry was working as a window dresser at David Jones. His design talent was noticed and he soon accepted a position as display manager for Curzons, where he coordinated around 300 fashion parades as well as designing and supervising the seasonal window displays. At 24, Barry went to Europe and, after time in London and Paris, worked as a display manager for a leading chain of department stores in Sweden.
By the time Barry returned to Sydney five years later, in 1964, his home city had changed. Walking home one night to his apartment in Kings Cross, he discovered a club called the Jewel Box, where not only were there drag performances but some of the boys were taking hormone therapy.
By the late 1960s, Barry was living fully as a woman in Paddington. Making costumes for Sydney’s leading theatre company, the Old Tote, by day, he performed at the Purple Onion club at night. It is the Purple Onion — on the site of the current Kens at Kensington — that can claim to have pushed Rose’s costume design skills to the fore, as well as introducing her to regular performing. Rose and the other cast members lived above the premises in what she described as “a drag kibbutz”.
In 1969, Dawn O’Donnell opened Capriccios, to offer drinks, a dancefloor, and a fully costumed drag show. It wasn’t long before Rose was the undisputed star, with a persona that highlighted an elegant femininity.
In 1983 David Mitchell and David Penfold created a show for Rose based on her life and career called Rose’s Turn. It played at Kinselas and was a huge success. She then opened her own club, Rose’s, on Goulburn St.
There Rose performed with stars including Judi Connelli and Tony Sheldon. Sheldon has said his interpretation of Bernadette in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, currently playing in New York, is based on Rose Jackson.
Vale rose, a friend and mentor in the late 60s on.
As a young costume design student, I worked with rose, bobby Lloyd and roger goss at their studio in Liverpool street….a street that was full of drag, fabric shops and small costume workshops.
We made for caps, the commercial musicals and two or three small revue theatres in Sydney cbd.
They were the best of times…we would often work all day right up to the show opening…then be at the show, or dancing at Caps.
Vale Rose……thanks for the memories, the generosity and the inclusion.
Robin
I was 16 when I first went to the Purple Onion. I remember so well the shows, Rose, Kandy and the wonderful Doriel. The shows were a triumph considering the smallness of the stage and the cramped dressing room. I remember Kandy doing “Too late Now” and a woman in the audience sighing with empathy as she was affected by her performance. Quite something when the song was being mimed. The big production numbers like “Diamonds are a Girls best friend” glittered and were to me,a young idealistic and dreamy kid another world. I remember the dash to the cars too in case the police were there as cross dressing was an offense. Its a shame this part of Sydney’s history is forgotten. Looking back one of my strongest emotions is admiration for the girls, who had the guts to live their way.
Vale, Rose and more recently Carmen. It was wonderful to be there.
Bon Voyage Rose. I have lots of great memories from the late 60’s,superb performances at the Purple Onion then onto Caps. I hope someone, somewhere is gathering this history. There is really very little on the internet. It’s sad to think that stories and memorabilia are not collected on a large scale at the Powerhouse Museum. I hope this era is not just forgotten. Happy days, thanks for the memories Rose.
To our beautiful angel Rosie glow. Thank you for 36 amazing years of friendship, laughter & good times. It’s Rose’s turn again, the stage is set, for your continuous elegant performances. We Love you forever, Miss Jackson. Love Marcy & David
RIP. Treasure our history. Capriccios brings back wonderful memories. Vale Rose.
I also lived upstairs at the Purple onion with all those extraordinay people,probably the only non drag in the joint.Doriel,black Leslie,she who caused a fuss in the Australian,Eddie Tye,the wonderfully foul mouthed Ken/Kandy and of course “B” Beatrice and the nameless one whose idea of choreography is to throw the same leg up all the time
I am probably the only person that knows where the takings went one weekend.Boy did that start some drama and everyone bitching and blaming everyone else.
Purple onion.Wow!What times.
Always admired you Rose, thanks for the many great show hope the show never stops for you ,,,
Another part of “our” history passes.
Vale.
That article certainly brought some great memories of Oxford Street in its heyday.
Rose, thank you, and RIP.