Rocky
Horror Show
Derngate, Northampton
Mon 26th to Sat 31st May, 2003
Tickets: £16.00 to £24.50
Box Office: 01604 624811 |
"My
feet are absolutely killing!"
And no wonder, seeing as Jonathan Wilkes has to wear five-inch high
heels, writes Martin Borley.
"I've got hard skin on the bottom of my feet; I could walk
the rest of England without even wearing shoes."
 |
| Frock
horror! It's Jonathan Wilkes as Frank N Furter |
Playing
Frank N Furter in the touring production of Rocky Horror Show means
Jonathan is suffering for his art: "You get a lot of cramp,"
he confided to me. "I do sympathise with women when they come
home at the end of the day and moan about their feet aching."
The
high heels, stockings and suspender belt turns Jonathan into a six
foot seven inch transvestite.
"When
you get to put all the outfit on and you put the wig and makeup
on, you turn into Frank N Furter. You become somebody else, which
is great. Everybody feels a bit intimidated by you. You think you're
very powerful."
Out
of the shadow
Jonathan
Wilkes is just 24 yet he's already been in showbusiness for six
years. At 17 he won the Cameron Mackintosh Young Entertainer of
the Year Award. He then had his own show at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
which ran for three years, and his own show, Hype, on BBC Choice.
Last
year he toured the country in the musical Godspell.
 |
| Robbie
Williams and Jonathan Wilkes singing Me And My Shadow at the
Royal Albert Hall |
In
2000 he signed an album deal with Virgin. His debut single Just
Another Day failed to reach the UK Top 10 but he was number five
in 18 countries around the world. But thanks to his mate Robbie
Williams, he got to the top by performing the duet Me And My Shadow
with Robbie on his "Swing When You're Winning" album.
| Rocky
Horror Show is a great opportunity to dress up as transvestities
(if any excuse were needed). What's it like to walk through
a busy Northampton town centre in a PVC maid's outfit? Find
out here! |
Jonathan's
first stage appearance was alongside Robbie Williams in a Stoke
Amateur Operatic Society production of Hans Christian Andersen.
Robbie is still his best friend but Jonathan is thoroughly sick
of always being in Robbie's shadow: "I hope I've proved myself;
I'm sure I have. It's boring [always being asked about Robbie] because
I'm not going to say anything about him. He is who he is. He's my
best mate and I wouldn't change that for the world."
And
the nudge-nudge wink-wink comments in some tabloid papers about
the nature of his relationship with Robbie are just tiresome: "As
long as I don't lose sleep over it, I'm OK," he said.
The
next Des O'Connor
This
year Jonathan's TV career seems to be taking off. He's already guest
presented on SM:TV. After Rocky Horror, he'll be filming a series
of You've Been Framed, replacing Lisa Riley as host. More TV projects
are on the drawing board, as well as another stage show and the
possibility of acting in films.
 |
| Jonathan
Wilkes: sweet transvestite |
"At
the end of the day, I've thrown my hat at a lot of stuff and that's
what I love doing - entertainment."
He added: "I'm the Arthur Daley of the entertainment world.
I want to become the next Des O'Connor: entertainment, interviewing
people, singing and having fun. Just being an all-round entertainer.
"I've
also been working on my acting recently. I'd like to be put up for
a few films.
"I'm
still really, really hungry. I really want to push myself even more.
Not through an ego thing - I'm very proud of what I've done - but
I just want to get better, to prove myself, and give myself new
challenges in life."
Rocky
Horror Show will be Jonathan's acting debut in Northampton. The
show comes to Derngate for the last week of May.
Full
interview with Jonathan Wilkes
(Real
56k, 6'30")
|
View
