Tony Sheldon

Actor, Priscilla The Musical

“It’s a great surprise to be on the list,” says writer, director and actor Tony Sheldon. “I guess playing Bernadette in ‘Priscilla The Musical’ has a lot to do with it. People are obviously getting something out of the character.”

That much is true. Two years on and ‘Priscilla The Musical’ is still going strong, currently playing for a second season in Sydney before heading overseas to London’s West End. Sheldon is the only member of the Australian cast who will be going with it.

“I am not excited about that part just yet,” says Sheldon. “I’m frightened, because I’ve never worked overseas before. I’m also feeling very protective of the show and I want it to be as good over there as it is here. I’m looking forward to taking this wonderful show to the rest of the world… It’s an extraordinary privilege and a huge responsibility.”

Sheldon describes ‘Priscilla - The Musical’ as ‘big business’. “It’s a very, very big budget show. Theatre is corporate now, people don’t go in lightly anymore. It’s not so much about art as getting a return on your investment, so they’ve got their eye on the long term plan, on world domination. There are many, many productions planned around the world, so they’re really determined to get it out there.”

And while the show is about three drag queens, it’s far from being pitched squarely at gay audiences. “It was designed to appeal to mainstream audiences. A lot of our business is from people who are returning to see it again and again. We’ve got people who’ve seen the show 80 or 90 times. I correspond with a lot of people, they write to me and tell me that it’s an oasis in their lives.” Sheldon says while the show has broken through a lot of barriers, the “straight Australian male” often still has to be dragged along kicking and screaming by their wives or girlfriends. “A lot of the time they really, really love it though! We’re slowly getting the message out to them - this show will not turn you gay! Just like when ‘Hair’ first opened – ‘Hair’ will not turn you into a hippy!”

Sheldon says that throughout the rehearsal process Director Gale Edwards was only too willing to listen to his advice when it came to how the gay community was depicted in the show. “I was very protective of what we were saying about the gay community. I was very vocal if I felt that there was stuff that was going to show us in a bad light. If there was any influence I had in that respect, I used it, and I will continue to use it in this show, because to have three homosexual characters as your leads in a musical, especially an Australian musical, is unique and I wanted to make sure we didn’t blow the opportunity.”

Sheldon says that even after more than 750 performances, it still feels as fresh as when the curtain first went up. “I treat every night as a new journey with that show – you don’t think ahead, you stay in the moment and just go on that ride as though it’s for the first time.”

Before the role in Priscilla came along, Sheldon was treading the boards as Roger de Bris in ‘The Producers’, a performance that saw him win the 2005 Helpmann Award, the Sydney Critics Award, the Mo Award and the Glugs Award. Sheldon says that one of the highlights of his very long and fruitful career was for another iconic gay role that broke through to mainstream audiences – his portrayal of Arnold Beckoff in the record breaking run of 'Torch Song Trilogy'. For that performance he won the Green Room and Variety Club Heart Awards as Best Actor of 1984.

”I am just glad that I’m still going and that I’m enjoying such success at this point. You don’t that the big role that’s going to give you so much attention is going to come when you’re in your fifties. You think it’s a young person’s game. You see all these young kids who are panicking because they’re not stars yet before they’re 25, but it’s not about that. You strive for longevity, to leave something behind I guess - it’s not just all instant fame and bells and whistles. It’s making a career and building an industry for the people who come after you.”

By Christian Taylor