Hello, Dolly

By Jason Reid

Jason Reid catches up with the award-winning Australian cabaret diva Dolly Diamond who has recently arrived back on our shores...

Welcome back to the UK. What brings you back and how long are you here for?

It’s great to be back in the UK. I missed my visit last year. I love my life in Melbourne but I needed to be back over here. It’s all still locked down back there and I need to work, so moving to the UK for a year or so feels like the right thing to do.

Tell us where we can see you perform and, for the uninitiated, what to expect.

I’ve only been back a month but in my usual style, I’ve hit the ground running. I’ve had a few shows at the Phoenix Arts Club and Above the Stag in London and I’m attempting to take my shows in that direction, with more ticketed events. It’s what I do in Australia and it seems to work better for me. In saying that I do love a Brighton audience, because they love their cabaret and they listen. I’ve got some shows at The Curzon in the diary and I’m chatting to Ironworks about a season of Dolly Diamond’s Blankety Blank.

I did that show in Edinburgh and Southbank in 2019, with some very fabulous faces: Rose Garden, Gingzilla, Karen from Finance, Reuben Kaye and Ursula Martinez.

“I want my audiences to be exhausted from laughing and glad they spent the night with me. I demand the same from the men who sleep with me”

Would you say you’re more of a comedy or vocal queen, or both?

I treat the shows as a night of comedy and I guess it’s up to the audience to make a decision on the rest. I love to make people laugh and it’s been great being back here and having that opportunity. Audiences in the UK and Australia are pretty similar and we all know how to see the funny side of life, even after all the shite we’ve gone through.

How did you spend 2020 ‘down under’?

I was in my flat in St Kilda for most of 2020 and only really allowed out for an hour’s exercise a day. I thought that wasn’t really long enough, so I didn’t bother. I got given the opportunity to co-host a live streaming show with my friend, Kerrie Stanley, all from my lounge room. We got a sizeable chunk of money from the government and managed to share it around with a lot of great performers. It kept us sane for quite some time and was a great experience.

You must be very pleased to be back on the stage after Covid...

Performing is so important to me, it always has been and like most things in life you realise how much you miss it when it’s taken away.

What do you like most about Brighton?

Brighton has always felt like the perfect place to escape to, it’s got everything I like, and a town that knows how to enjoy it all. I was out bike riding and swimming when I got here a month ago and the shopping is pretty fabulous. I’m definitely still in tourist mode and could easily spend hours wandering the Lanes. Same could be said for all the bars as well, though.

Would you move here?

I could definitely see myself living in Brighton but I’m not sure I’d give up my home in Melbourne on a permanent basis. My goal is to have a working life in both countries, so we’ll see how that pans out.

Your friend Rose Garden recently moved here. Tell us about your relationship.

She adores me and I her. We get each other and you should always hang on to the ones who are willing to take the rough with your smooth.

Do you like any other Brighton drag artists?

I’ve performed a lot in Brighton over the years and they’ve undoubtedly seen me at my best (and not so best). I have a great friendship and admiration for Dave Lynn, Miss Jason and Drag With No Name – but I could easily name more.

What’s your favourite song to sing right now and why?

I’ve just started working with a new pianist, John Thorn, and he’s absolutely brilliant. He’s written so many songs over the years and I’m loving one that I’ve recently put in the act. It’s called I Put On Weight and you’ll have to see the show to know why I love it so much.

How do you want audiences to feel after one of your shows?

I want my audiences to be exhausted from laughing and glad they spent the night with me. I demand the same from the men who sleep with me.

Your hopes and dreams for the future?

I’m keen to catch up with lots of friends while I’m back and it’s great not having to rush off like I normally do. I’d love to build up an audience back here that will allow me to visit the UK every summer. I know I’ll have to work hard to get it but I’m not afraid of that and never have been.