Former Strictly star Joanne Clifton, who quit the show to become a musical theatre star, will be heading to Nottingham in The Rocky Horror Show, playing virgin Janet Weiss opposite former Blue star Duncan James’s Dr Frank-N-Furter. Here's what she had to say about it...
The audition
“I had never seen the show and didn’t know anything about it. I hadn’t a clue. I watched the film before my audition. It was so bonkers I knew I just had to do it. I came out [of the audition] and called my agent and said I need to have this job, it was different to anything I’d ever done before, and I think it will be the most fun thing I’ve ever done. And it really is."
The show
“It's about being who you want to be – and that’s what we’re all striving for.”
Janet
"I start off all prim and proper. She just wants to marry Brad. She wants to be a lovely little housewife and live the American dream… but then she gets led astray and turns into this very animalistic woman.”
Duncan James
“Duncan is phenomenal. I think he was born for the role of Dr Frank-N-Furter. He absolutely commands the stage, even in stockings and high heels. He is brilliant. “
The costumes
“The costumes are out of this world. I haven’t got much on, to be fair. Most of the time I’m in my knickers and bra and a petticoat but I’m used to that after Flashdance.”
The audiences
“I don’t think anything quite prepares you for all the shout outs from the audience. It's a night of freedom for everyone, where they can do whatever they want, shout out whatever they want. They sing along with us - they know every single word, not only the songs, but the script as well. It’s quite useful if we forget our lines.”
What's next?
“I still love ballroom dancing, but my heart is in theatre. I want be on stage for the rest on my life.”
The Rocky Horror Show, Royal Concert Hall, Wednesday, August 28 to Sunday, September 1, £18.00 to £45.50 from 0115 989 5555 and trch.co.uk.
