At first, he was afraid

I well remember when the Priscilla movie first came out in 1994. I had just finished a season of West Side Story and was about to go into Hello, Dolly!, but I took off to Toronto to do some modelling. The film was the hit of the Toronto Film Festival and, when I went to see it, I sat in the audience and was a very proud Australian.

I liked the film as they had grasped the whole Sydney drag scene. It reminded me of what I had enjoyed of that culture living in Sydney at that time and the days of the old Albury Hotel where everyone used to go to watch the shows.

I never looked at the movie and thought it would work on stage. Until the likes of The Boy From Oz, every show we ever got came from overseas, so it was not something that even registered. And when it was first announced to go on stage, I was a bit bewildered about just how it could work.

Before work began on Priscilla, I had been on TV in Dancing With The Stars, partnering Gabrielle Richens and Holly Brisley. Having been a ballroom dancer in the past, I just knew this show would work, and we then had a great time with it.

Then there was the period when I was accused of having a past relationship with Todd McKenney, which was totally unfounded. I had known Todd for a long time, as we had worked together in West Side Story and we had both done ballroom dancing -“ that was true. But then too much of a connection was made, as we were never together.

I have also danced in two Mardi Gras parties -“ in 2000, I did the 6am show, which was a busy time as I was also filming Moulin Rouge on the other side of Fox Studios at the same time. Then two years ago, I was in Nicki French’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart number. Mardi Gras is always mind-blowing as, while you are performing, people are just going off on the dancefloor.

But when I was asked to audition for Priscilla, it all went well. And then I was in Melbourne and asked to audition again, but I was modelling in a bridal show at the same time. So I spent the first half of the day as a groom on a catwalk and then, hours later, I was dancing in drag and five-inch platform heels -“ a very bizarre day.

But once I got in and rehearsals began, I saw what the director Simon Phillips and choreographer Ross Coleman wanted to do with it, and saw it was a winner. The thing I really loved about this show was creating something from the ground up.

I have been in other shows which have been a lot harder technically, but this is unique as you have to do drag, and then be a bloke, and then get into drag again. I had never done drag at all, and at first my reaction was that I couldn’t really see myself doing it.

In drag, you do become a different character. You put someone in a frock and high heels, and the personality changes. I never thought I would get into it as much as I do. Ross Coleman describes me as the buxom Swede of the Les Girls line-up. There is also some definite discomfort for a man dressing in drag, but I think most of us have gotten used to it.

A week before opening night, we had the ACON preview. We were all petrified as the show was not ready. But it was one of the best experiences in live theatre I have ever had, and the fact that the audience was so supportive -“ even when the sets did not work -“ showed that it worked. Opening night was still scary as we were still having some problems with the bus, but everything went so well.

We do 14 production numbers and technically it is not hard, but it’s an energetic show and I am in 13 of them. I am also the dance captain, so there is a lot in the dances that I have to keep an eye on and constantly work at.

We have made a lot of changes since the show opened. We have changed a lot of dialogue, and we have chopped some numbers down to make the flow easier. Some things were taken out too, and other things changed around. People who have seen it again recently commented it is very different, but so much better.

There is a lot of fun in this show, but the show always has a moment when you see the Fuck off faggots painted on the bus, followed by the line, No matter how strong you think you are, and how many times this happens, it still hurts. That does seem to speak to the audience, as I don’t think they have even thought about that side of it by then.

Priscilla is now running until later this year, and I am staying with it. We recently notched up 200 performances, and this is now the second longest-running show in the Lyric Theatre after Mamma Mia. Now there is talk of sending Priscilla overseas, and that is a good feeling. It is nice to be in a show when we are speaking in our own accents and able to get into the story as ourselves.

Interview by John Burfitt