The Heroines of My Life: Penny Clifford: Unforgettable Shows (02)

Monika: One of your most memorable shows was “Raw Images”. What was the plot of the show?

Penny: At the time there were many shows with Showgirls in them touring the club circuit but not many with boys performers so I added professional dancers to my cast and we came up with Raw Images.

Monika: Where and when was the show played?

Penny: The show toured both around Australia from 1987 through to 1993 and we played in many venues sometimes doing 2 venues a night and racing across the city to get there. We normally worked 4 – 5 nights a week.

Backstage.

Monika: Could you elaborate more on the costumes, music and choreography of the show?

Penny: The style of the show was 2 x 20 min show with 3 dance production and a solo song from myself. It was mixed together and was very fast paced with the quickest costume changes for the cast to keep the flow of the show fast. Costumes depending on the song but ranged from funky jeans to full Spanish and feather outfits. We had many many costumes and songs in the period we worked.

Monika: During the show you were working with some boys. How did you get on with them on stage?

Penny: The Boys were very professional and thus we had a slick show, we used some famous choreographers from William Forsythe, Kellie Abbey, Alita Northey and we worked hard. Over the years the boys often changed due to other professional work they obtained but working a lot of nights and closely together we always maintained a good relationship. Some Dancers I was closer with than others in my personal life but there were never any problems in the cast and for that I am very thankful.

Kids in America Show.

Monika: Could you name any other girls that used to appear in the show with you?

Penny: There were no girls in this show apart from myself but some of the guys were Rohan Senior, Ian Knowles, Ashley Swift, Anton Scott, Simon Major and PJ Clarke.

Monika: What will you always remember about the show?

Penny: I will always remember the fun we use to have, the laughs, the wonderful audience’s that loved us and the freedom the show created for me.

All the photos: Courtesy of Penny Clifford.