Tick – a journey of acceptance

Chris Valli will profile the cast and crew of Blenheim Musical Theatre’s production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert in May. This week is Andrew Simon who has been cast as the drag queen Tick.

You know you’ve got some cahones when the first theatre show you audition for is Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. You’ve got even bigger cahonas, when you are cast as ‘drag queen Tick’.

Yet that’s been the journey for electrician Andrew Simon, originally from Wellington who has been in Marlborough for three years.

After meeting some thespians from Blenheim Musical Theatre at a flat party last year, the shin dig provided the 33-year-old an opportunity to meet and network with the cast of Les Misérables.

“I got to meet a lot of the crew and they were really lovely people,” he says. “Finding out Priscilla was the next show I asked my flatmate Elly (Molloy, choreographer) how do I make this happen?”

Meeting pre audition with vocal director Con O’Brien learning breathing, diction and vocal techniques, Andrew joined dance classes with fellow cast member and Diva Krystal Palmer which provided the stimuli for wanting more of the fabulous.

“It all just snowballed from there. I guess I’ve always had a bit of a loud personality so it’s not something out of the ordinary for me to be doing something like this.

I’m often singing and dancing on the worksite. I’ve always wanted to perform but things have never really lined up. It’s an opportunity and I jumped at it.”

The role of Anthony ‘Tick’ Belrose, made synonymous in the movie by Hugo Weaving, uses the drag pseudonym of Mitzi Del Bra, a Sydney based drag queen who accepts an offer to perform his act in Alice Springs, managed by his estranged wife Marion.

Upon arrival at the hotel, it is revealed that Tick and Marion also have an eight-year-old son, Benjamin, whom Tick has not seen for many years. Tick is nervous about exposing his son to his drag profession and anxious about revealing his homosexuality, though he is surprised to discover that Benjamin already knows and is fully supportive of his father’s sexuality and career.

The role of Benjamin or ‘Benji’ has gone to Renwick School students Phineas and Bastion

McFadden. Andrew says he has been wary of creating a rapport and relationship on and off stage with the boys which is organic, slow and not rushed. He says he doesn’t want to be too overbearing. There is a scene where Tick sings to Benji the song, ‘You Were Always On My Mind’ which will be a heartfelt moment for theatre goers and capture the inner turmoil of Tick as a drag queen and indeed a father.

“They’ve been great. They’re almost teaching me how to do it,” he says. “They play the role differently and it is a matter of adapting. It feels like a moment when I’m singing to someone I want to be there for.”

Andrew says discovering Tick’s inner character and backstory has been invaluable.

“It’s a journey of accepting who he is, being comfortable with it and being a father. The role hasn’t been easy for me because I’ve always been quite comfortable being myself. Tick’s got the extrovertedness and chaos of Adam/Felicia and the levelness from Bernadette to rely on.”

Tapping into Elly’s choreography skills and experience as a dancer and actor has been invaluable for

Andrew Simon has been cast as drag queen Tick in Priscilla. He says he's often singing and dancing on the worksite as an electrician. "I’ve always wanted to perform but things have never really lined up. It’s an opportunity and I jumped at it.” his own development.

“She guides and often says this is what you need to work on. Make sure your head is up. And if I am to make a mistake, just smile and enjoy what I am doing. I’ve lost 16 kilograms through the dancing combined with the extra exercise and focusing on my diet throughout the process. It’s been