INTERVIEW | Kate Butch, TuckShop Drag Panto
Written by Kirsty.
What made you decide to join the cast of Sleeping Beauty this year?
I’ve loved working with TuckShop in the past, and was really excited to be doing something festive and downright SILLY! Plus, it’s the actual West End - who could say no??
Drag performers are an integral part of Pantomimes, but what can audiences expect from this year's All Drag Panto?
Imagine the bawdiness, ridiculousness and chaos of your classic pantomime dame, and turn that up to 800%! With wall-to-wall drag you can expect a show stopping, never-the-same, eat it (however the rest of that quote goes) unexpected, rowdy, camp old time!
The costumes in Pantomimes are always one of the highlights, can you give us any hints on how over the top the costumes will be in the show?
My name has become synonymous with tacky, tasteless, borderline upsetting fashion, and I’m thrilled to finally be given an outlet where that is celebrated. Think clashing patterns, hideous silhouettes, and my trademark Heelys, and you’re about halfway there.
You are reuniting with your Drag Race UK sister, Michael Marouli for Sleeping Beauty. Is performing together on stage something you ever considered doing whilst on the show?
I’m so excited to be working with Michael! We didn’t really get an opportunity to do anything together while filming, aside from our little scene at the start of the pantomime, so it’s a perfect fit that we’re expanding that for the West End stage! Off camera we had an absolute SCREAM together, so I can’t wait for more antics to ensue!
Are you excited to bring your exceptional comic timing, which was demonstrated to perfection on Drag Race UK, to a live audience in Sleeping Beauty?
That’s very kind of you to say, and I can’t wait to continue being a silly goose in Sleeping Beauty! My character also gets to do a lot of audience interaction, so nobody will be safe!
You were a firm fan favourite on this season of Drag Race UK, have you seen a different type of audience member at shows you’ve done since leaving the show?
I think I’ve always spoken to the weirdos, the outcasts, the people that can remember the entirety of one specific CBBC episode from 1999, so it’s been a blast to be introduced to the fans of more mainstream drag. I’m thrilled that most of them have understood the brand of nonsense I peddle, and I wasn’t expecting to be so fabulously received by the lovely viewers!
Did you have a highlight from your time on Drag Race UK? And do you feel that being on the show has changed you as a Drag performer?
My favourite part was forming solid friendships with all the girls - we’re trauma bonded for life! My career so far has seen me working solo or with one or two other drag artists, so I’m thrilled to have added 10 more drag friends to my address book! They’ve taught me invaluable skills, from proper contouring to necking shots.
Drag Race favourites Victoria Scone and Kitty Scott Claus are joining you in the show, if you had a magic wand are there any other Drag Race stars you would love to perform with?
Victoria and Kitty are an absolute hoot to work with, but I’d also love to do something with Ginny Lemon or Danny Beard - their shows are always chaotic and hilarious but I don’t think the world is ready for the ridiculousness we’d bring to the stage if we combined!
You and Ginger Johnson were eye-wateringly funny in Episode 7 of Drag Race UK with “Holedark” with many fans begging for the pair of you to work together again. Would you ever consider doing a series of shows with Ginger?
It would be foolish of me not to ride the current winner’s coattails for as long as I can, so I’m getting myself surgically attached to Ginger’s side for at least a year! Seriously though, we had so much fun together and the reception to our Holedark sketch has been so lovely - watch this space because we have some silly silly plans!
2024 will undoubtedly be a very exciting year for you, can you let us into any news on what plans you have and where fans can come and support you?
I’m thrilled that the world is now my oyster, and I can’t wait to annoy people to death with all the projects that I’ve got coming up! I’d love to record some more music (my first single is out now *wink*) and my Kate Bush-inspired solo show Wuthering Shites will be returning to the stage very soon!
Catch Kate Butch in Sleeping Beauty at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 27 - 31 December 2023.
