Strictly's Kevin Clifton: "I've always battled with my identity"

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Dazzling costumes, heart-warming stories and a stunning pop soundtrack, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a cult classic for a reason.

Originally released as an Oscar-winning film in 1994 and then a West End musical, the much-loved show is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a mega UK tour, hitting 20 theatre venues from February to July.

Over the years, the cast of this show has included legends from Terence Stamp and Guy Pearce to Jason Donovan, and now taking over is Adèle Anderson, Nick Hayes and Strictly Come Dancing's Kevin Clifton.

In an exclusive chat with Radio Times, the pro dancer said, we as audiences are in need of this uplifting story now more than ever: "I think the things the show deals with, like identity and acceptance, I think we've gone a long way with it, but we seem to be in a moment now where it's getting more divisive again.

"I think it's a good time to have a show like come back and spread a real message of acceptance, not just from other people, but accepting yourself for who you are."

Kevin Clifton as Tick in Priscilla Queen of the Desert — Kevin Clifton as Tick in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Matt Crockett

Clifton will be playing the role of Tick, originally played by Lord of the Rings' Hugo Weaving, a drag queen estranged from his wife and son, who persuades his fellow performers (Bernadette and Felicia) to travel out to a gig in remote central Australia.

After taking on the role, Clifton said he definitely felt responsibility to "handle Tick with care." He said: "I'm a straight man, and I felt a bit of that pressure of, oh, am I the right guy to to do it? But then talking to the director and other people in the cast that, you know, they were very comfortable with me doing it – it was the same when I did Everybody's Talking About Jamie."

The Strictly winner added that he was still able to see himself in Tick, having also spoken openly about identity in the past.

"I don't battle with my sexuality, but what I do battle with is a big theme of identity. I grew up as a ballroom dancer, and I had to be a certain way and act a certain way in front of people, and I feel like it was an identity that was handed to me.

"I was a Grimsby ballroom dancer who was doing competitions, so to look taller my parents gave me a perm and you know I'd have fake tan on my neck and so I didn't 100 per cent fit in with my friends at home. Then in rehearsal rooms and on Strictly it's often filled with a lot of extrovert, flamboyant people, and I'm not, I'm an introvert, so I didn't fit in there either."

"Even now I'm 43 years old, and I often say I don't know who I am really. I sort of feel like I'm playing different roles all the time, and Tick is the same. He doesn't quite fit in any room that he walks into, he's trying to find that place where he belongs, that place where he fits."

Clifton also said he can doubly relate to Tick since becoming a father. The dancer and partner Stacey Dooley had their daughter Minnie in 2023. "Tick has a son who he hasn't seen in years, so when we're playing some of the scenes I just think about my own daughter, Minnie, who's three, and weirdly, whilst we're on tour Stacey my girlfriend's going to be in Australia filming and Minnie's going out there with her. So I'm really going to be missing them and I can hopefully tap into that a little bit."

As the 30th anniversary of the show, audiences can expect this new run to be bigger and better than before, with Clifton promising a bigger cast, new sets and new choreography. But while many people may think the show is just about being as big, fun and flamboyant as possible, it's always worth remembering the story at its heart.

"I hope that people are going to feel uplifted," said Clifton. "I hope, that the underlying message is going to be heartfelt. On one level they're going to come and have an amazing night of entertainment with great songs and great dance numbers, but then underneath, they'll enjoy the really heart-warming story of three people who are looking for acceptance and for where they fit."

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