Clive Rowe interview: ‘I would describe myself as a bloke in a frock’

‘I needed a break from pantomime. I have been to pantos where the dame is not fresh. It’s not terrible but you’re very aware that the person on stage has been on stage for a very long time, doing the same thing again and again. It was good for me, I’ve come back with a new hunger.’

‘I don’t enjoy “Cinderella”. I don’t like there being two dames on stage, so Hackney Empire were happy that I wanted to take a little breather so that they could do it.’

‘My 2009 Olivier nomination for my last “Mother Goose” is my proudest one. That’s no disrespect to the ones for “Guys and Dolls” and “Carousel”, but being the only dame ever nominated for an Olivier is an absolutely massive thing because people look on panto as a lesser form.’

‘I worked my way up through a world of amateur pantos. I started as crew and I ended up as Emperor of China – the first multiracial casting! I learned a lot from Nigel Marland, an amateur dame in Oldham who passed away this year.’

‘I have a weird relationship with Christmas. I’m not really a believer in starting it early, but because of panto I start to think about it, even if only subconsciously, in June. And this week I’ve been running around buying presents because once it starts there’s no way I’ll have time; it’s Christmas right through to January.’

‘I would describe myself as a bloke in a frock. I’m not Lily Savage, I’m not in drag, that’s why it’s funny. A docker could be a dame.’

‘If I ever try and explain pantomime to an American I say “think of ‘Hairspray’”. It has a male playing a female part, you’ve got the villains, you’ve got songs, you’ve got dancing – it’s an American pantomime.’

‘For dames, “Mother Goose” is the “Hamlet” 
of pantos. I couldn’t pass it up. ‘Aladdin’ is about Aladdin, ‘Dick Whittington’ is about Dick, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ is about Jack – this is the only one that’s about the dame.’

‘Who knows what will happen next year? Spielberg may give me a call! But I never say never. I‘ve had a break, I’m back, we’ll see how this goes.’

‘Mother Goose’ is at Hackney Empire, Nov 22 - Jan 4 2015.