We chat to Liam Tamne

Everyone knows how to do the Time Warp don’t they? Well next week Manchester has the chance to dance along with our favourite transvestite from Transylvania, Frank N Furter as the Rocky Horror Show rolls into town.

Chris Park caught up with Liam Tamne to chat about this latest production

1. How is the tour going?
It’s going really well, we’re revisiting a lot of places and it’s incredible, we’re loving it. The audiences are giving us exactly what we want and they seem to be really enjoying it. For me personally it’s an absolute joy and to think that in 3 months’ time the tour will come to an end, it’s actually quite sad.

2. Do the audiences still dress up?
They do, when I have family and friends come and watch the show and they’re not dressed up, they say to me they feel really out place in normal clothes. When I make my entrance and see everyone dressed up, you can’t help but see all the sequins glistening back at you.

3. It’s a massively iconic film, how does the show differ?
It’s not majorly different in the sense that the plot is exactly the same. I think the show is better. I’m a huge fan of the film and still am, however the show has that extra special spark. You get more into the characters, as much as people say it’s a real feel-good show, when you get into what the show is actually about, there’s a message behind the story and I think that is really portrayed in the show.

Having the audience participation makes it hilariously funny but also going through the journey that my character goes through and Brad, it really is a massive message sent out when you watch it.

4.What do you have in common with Frank N Furter?
I don’t think I have too much in common with Frank. For me as an actor, it’s so different from anything I’ve done before and it opens up so many opportunities and even parts of myself that I would never have wanted to explore. It was challenging to start with but that’s why you have Chris Luscombe, our director, who helped me pull out certain things. The process is quite daunting at first and you think “Oh my God I’m going to play this role”, I’ve never put on a pair of heels and a corset.

5. What was it like when you first put the outfit on?
Funnily enough it actually was very liberating. There’s something quite empowering about wearing that outfit and being a man, it is something that made me feel even more powerful even though you would think it would make you feel vulnerable. You have to be confident and that character is confident. 

6. How do you keep it fresh?
I do a lot of other things as well, I do things like songwriting, I go to the gym, I do a lot of running, if you keep your mind occupied, the role stays fresh. What makes my character different every evening is the audience and the shout outs, they can be the same but there are the odd occasion where something new will come in. We had one last night when I say “I can explain” and this lady shouted “Oh please do, I don’t know what the hell is going on”.

With my character I get the freedom to play a little bit and bounce off the audience and change things up. 

As an actor you don’t like to get complacent so having fresh people coming into the cast makes it fresh, they may play a character differently so you do as well, it’s a knock on effect on how I deliver my lines. It definitely livens things up. It’s like we’re exploring it again for the first time.

7. What has been the strangest fan mail?
It wasn’t fan mail but someone asked me to sign their breasts and then she went and got it tattooed. It’s amazing that they’re that loyal but I worry in the future they will say “Why did I do that?” because lasering is expensive.

8. Have you ever been out in your stage clothes?
No but I have been out in just the make up. We were in Manchester and had an hour’s break so popped out to a restaurant and I wasn’t taking it all off, people were looking at me with my wig cap on and make up.

9. How was your recent wedding?
It was everything we wished for, we got married in France and it was a beautiful setting with amazing friends and family there and we were very grateful for it. 

10. Any plans for 2017?
I have nothing that I can speak of now, I am in the process of auditioning and then in February we are going on honeymoon to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

For more information on the show, please visit www.rockyhorror.co.uk

To book please click below.

By Chris Park for Canal St Online

Published: 20-Oct-2016: (3943)