Time for another Five on Friday – this time celebrating some of the most striking, and strikingly successful, cross dressing leading men. And I’m thinking of proper musicals – not Pantomime dames!
Five – Matt Henry as Lola in Kinky Boots
He’s been playing the lead in this show since it opened in London and still seems to be having a roaringly good time.
Four – Jason Donovan as Tick in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Brilliant both in and out of the drag in the West End and on tour, I guess we should not be surprised that Jason Donovan, as usual, gave an excellent performance. Time to see him in another musical, surely!
Three – John Partridge as Albin in La Cage Aux Folles
OK, so this in anticipation of Mr Partridge delivering the goods in the recently announced UK tour. The picture above features John Barrowman who took the part at London’s Playhouse Theatre in 2009.
Two – Craig Revel Horwood as Miss Hannigan in Annie
Sharing the role with fellow Strictly Come Dancing star Lesley Joseph in the most recent UK tour, Craig Revel Horwood joins a growing list of men who’ve played this classic part, not least Lily Savage.
One – John Travolta as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray
Exceptionally I’ve included a movie star in this list of otherwise exclusively theatrical cross dressers. But for me John Travolta provides a hilarious benchmark performance, helped by his crazy accent (‘I’ve got the iron on’ is a standard quote in our house!).
Sue In The Stalls 