An Interview With Liam Tamne, Rocky Horror’s Sweetest Transvestite!

Whether you have seen it or not, you have most likely heard of The Rocky Horror Show, and if you have seen it – you know what a fun time it can be. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Richard O’Brien’s masterpiece, Christopher Luscombe has created a brand new production for a year-long UK national tour that is sure to be a non-stop party! With an extremely talented cast made up of Diana Vickers, Ben Freeman, Paul Cattermole, Liam Tamne, Kristian Lavercombe and many more, the show has been receiving amazing reviews.

I had the chance to have a chat with Liam Tamne, who has the honour of playing the role of Frank-N-Furter, the sweet transvestite (from transexual Transylvania)! Here’s what he had to say:

What is it like being in such a well-known, musical favourite?

Oh, it’s incredible. Have you seen the show?

I have not, I missed the press performance this week, but I have seen the film.

What do you think of the film?

Oh I love it, personally. I am a big fan of musicals and it’s such a chaotic, but fascinating story!

It’s such an iconic piece of film, isn’t it? For me, being a part of something like this, it is a real privilege and honour. It’s 42 years its been going, the show, and I had an interview before and I was explaining to them that never in my career would I have put myself playing this role. So it is a real honour, and it is a real challenge but it’s exciting and a joy to do something like this. I love it, and I love the company. We’re such a small cast and I think that really helps with the company morale and keeping it going, the excitement and going to different venues…

So what do you think of Manchester?

I absolutely love Manchester; it is amazing to be a part of something that brings me to all these wonderful places. Yeah, I have always said if I didn’t live in London and work wasn’t down there for me, I would probably move up here.

You were a contestant on The Voice. Were you a part of musicals before the show, or did your appearance begin your stint in musicals? 

No, I actually did Wicked, Hairspray, Hair and Les Miserables on the West End before I went on The Voice. I went on The Voice because I like to keep them as two separate entities, in a sense. The Voice has opened up so many doors for me, music wise. I’m a singer songwriter and I write a lot of songs for some artists and upcoming artists and hopefully, one of my songs is being commissioned by a big artist – so yeah, that opened a lot of doors for me. I would love to still put my own stuff out there, I have a manager and I am working with a few publishers and labels in the sense of seeing if things will work. But it is a difficult industry to break into because not many people want to invest money into it anymore so that is why I went on The Voice – purely just for music. It wasn’t to help my theatre career because I was sort of established there prior to that.

So have you always been a fan of The Rocky Horror Show?

Well, of the film, yeah. The embarrassing thing was when I went in for the audition, I has never seen the show before and it is so different to the film. Like, the audience participation is so important, it’s crucial. I like to think that the audience are part of Frank’s personality really. They shout things out that are so rude and crude, and it is exactly the type of thing my character (Frank-N-Furter) would say. So it is a real priviledge to have the opportunity to use the audience and use what they say because it really influences how I perform that evening.

What is it like playing a transvestite?

I mean, it is actually really fun. The thing is with this show, Frank is essentially an alien, but the fact that he is a transvestite – he has watched so many B movies and so many Jane Crawford and Betty Davis … He is so influenced by these female characters. He is more of a transvestite in the sense that he’s not physically going through the whole change but he is copying exactly what he sees. I think that’s the joy because I can do whatever I want, whenever I want and play it however I want. Obviously there are guidelines that you have to stick to, but it is that freedom as an actor that makes it incredible.

The musical is very fast-paced. Is that tedious for you as one of the lead roles?

Yeah, it actually is. I mean, Hairspray was the most physical performance I had to do because I played Link Larkin in that and it was full on, dance moves, getting changed, playing guitar, singing all the songs and then going into the next scene. But what I have notices with this show is that my appearance is about 10/15 minutes into the piece and literally, it is like I am starting at the finale – that is how my energy needs to be from the get go. You have amazing people in the cast, like Kristian Lavercombe who plays Riff Raff. He sets that level so high, that I have to surpass it really as that is the character. This show is about Frank-N-Furter and everyone is major in the whole piece and everyone is just as important, but his energy is what dictates where the show is going to go. So it is tiring in that sense.

Also, I have never worn heels in my life, and a corset. Everyone thinks like “Oh wow, amazing, you’re wearing a corset, you look fantastic!” but try singing in a corset. It is very full on but I wouldn’t have it any other way. The best thing about being an actor is that you want to constantly challenge yourself and this is really challenging me. I’m loving it.

That’s great. So how has it been with Diana Vickers and Paul Cattermole? Obviously they are famous for their singing careers, but they have come from a different background to you.

They are fantastic. Diana has taken to this so easy, and so has Paul. Paul trained at a very well-known theatre college before he went into S Club 7. He studied at a college called Mountview which is a very respected theatre college. For them it is really easy changing venues because they’ve done arena before, they are used to the sound changing and the different environments.

Me and Diana have become really close, we’ve become really close friends very quickly – she is convinced she is coming to my wedding in September. We’ve known each other two months so we’ll see if we really hit it off!

So does that mean you are juggling wedding plans with your busy schedule?

Yeah, and I’ve just bought a house. I’m exchanging at the moment, the house is just being built. We are moving in May and the wedding is in September, and then we are starting an adoption process around August/September, so it is a lot.

Wow, big year!

Yeah, it is sort of crazy doing it while being on tour, but it’s the best way really. The thing is with being self-employed, you have to have a certain amount of income to show, especially with adoption and buying a house. With this show I don’t have to worry about it closing – touch wood.

Finally, what is your favourite part about being in the show?

Favourite part? The audience, definitely. Yeah, it is the audience. We were with Brighton before, and now we are with you guys in Manchester but it is just so different everywhere you go. Every evening is so different. They are so crucial to the show, and we wouldn’t be where we are 42 years on without them. It is just an absolute pleasure to entertain people that are here purely just to have a good time!

For more information and to buy tickets, visit the tour website.

Follow Liam at @LiamTamne