The ubiquitous Pete Rowsthorn is no ‘Mr Cellophane’ in real life

By creammagazine, November 24, 2023

It seems we’ve seen actor Pete Rowsthorn everywhere these past few years.

He’s popped up in Kath & Kim anniversary programs to comment on his iconic role of Brett ‘Bretty’ Craig. In Black Swan State Theatre’s Glengarry Glenross, he dropped the sad mug and donned a big suit to play king-pin real estate agent Shelley Levine, and in the same company’s Laughter On The 23rd Floor he boasted the chops of an effervescent television host.

Occasionally he’s appeared on Channel 7’s Flashpoint and even on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. Now he’s in one of the best-known stage musicals, playing Amos Hart in the new production of Chicago at Crown Theatre in Perth.

While the role is that of a cuckolded husband whose visibility is dwarfed by that of his star murderess wife Roxie Hart, even Pete’s treatment of the sad ditty ‘Mr Cellophane’ proves to be a highlight in this quality production.

Where there are a lot of actors who start out on stage and end up becoming drama teachers, Rowsthorn actually began his career as an acting teacher. He then moved into the entertainment industry, one of his first gigs being ‘The Comedy Company’ in 1989.

Since then he has proven his talent in just about everything from slapstick to Shakespeare,  epic drama to independent stand-up. Whether he’s mugging it in sitcoms or earning our sympathy in comitragic musicals, Pete Rowsthorn displays a variety as brilliant as them bigwigs on Broadway.

Here, he chats with Cream about letting go of the comical mask on occasion, his strong admiration for local artistry, and of course that recurring passion for laugh-a-minute comedy.

Interview by Andrea Manno

 

First of all, Pete, we’ve got to talk about Kath & Kim. Was it enjoyable to play Bretty on the show?

It was a gift from heaven for me. We did ten years of that show and every second year we made another series. It was good for me to play something that’s really flat and straight and doesn’t pull faces and doesn’t try to be funny. I was just the reactor, kind of like the audience – reacting to Kim, Kath, Kel and Sharon because they were doing big things. So I could be just a [sidekick] character. But it was a really, really enjoyable job.

 

Do your family like watching re-runs of TV shows you’ve appeared in?

They watch bits and pieces. Thank God You’re Here was back on Foxtel so they liked watching that, especially the episodes I was in.

 

“Laughter is an energy; it’s a complete release, and it’s euphoric. I think if you don’t laugh, you’re having a terrible life. People need to laugh; it’s like a community service.”

 

How do you find it working regularly with the Black Swan State Theatre Company?

The Company is a well provided-for venue and it has great rehearsal facilities. The sets are always good. Everyone there strives for perfection and works hard. I just like the rehearsal process, nutting out why things are happening and then getting it up on its feet and making it come to life. I’ve done a few plays but I learn so much every time I do another… and I really like it for that reason.

 

You’ve also done The New Rocky Horror Show…

Yeah, I did that Rocky Horror Show for years; I reckon I did about six hundred shows of that. I like to mix it up a bit; do different characters. I don’t know how but I don’t have the mental capacity to do the same thing for two years, so I like to take some months off and then come back to a play. I’ve had some really great opportunities like that. I did The Importance Of Being Ernest with Black Swan; I normally do one a year. The actors in Perth have often worked all over the world but, like most people, they want to come back to WA. I think the people in Perth are really talented and the standards are pretty high.

 

Do you do a lot of stand-up comedy between television and plays?

Yeah, that’s my bread and butter. In the corporate sector, I go out and host events, awards nights, functions. I’m an MC but I also do comedy during a night of that or sometimes I will just go to a function to do stand-up for half an hour or more. I do that all over the country. That’s how I make my cash really ’cause showbiz doesn’t pay very well but comedy does. [Laughs].

 

 

Have you ever considered going to the US to get into more film work?

Well, I’m not Brad Pitt. And with my kids [Pete has four children], I have a different lifestyle. You can work from Australia quite easily I think. Guy Pearce does it, and Eric Bana. But they’re established. At fifty-plus, you sort of think I might have missed that film boat. I’m happy being a character-actor doing bits and pieces on telly here and in Australian films, like Paper Planes, which did really well at the box office. I’m just happy that I’m making a career out of something that’s so much fun and that I love; happy to get up on stage and make people laugh.

 

“The actors in Perth have often worked all over the world but, like most people, they want to come back to WA. I think the people in Perth are really talented and the standards are pretty high.”

 

Do you believe humour is healing?

Yes. Laughter is an energy; it’s a complete release, and it’s euphoric. I think if you don’t laugh, you’re having a terrible life. Then there is laughing so hard that you can’t stop and you’re crying. If I can get people to do that, and I’m in the right mood, it’s a great thing to watch. It’s a beautiful thing to do and I’m happy I can do it. People need to laugh; it’s like a community service.

 

 

Can you recount or tell a joke in everyday life – just sitting around with friends – or are you more serious in your private life?

It’s definitely mood-driven; like you are, like we all are. If you get the right group of people and you’re in the right mood, you can. Other times, I can’t; you don’t feel like that. I err on the side of humour to get something going, like if we’re touring in the car. I’m good at picking moods and shifting them. I’m good at breaking tension, so if there’s something going on, I can shake the mood. Sometimes people expect you to be funny; I can’t stand people who go ‘well, c’mon, tell us a joke!’ It’s like telling you ‘well, write an article about me, go on’ and you go ‘well, shut up, I’m not ready!’ I find I’m hilarious in the shower and that I get funny thoughts at different times. Often, when I’m with my wife and I just bang on about stuff and annoy her. I do the same joke or jokes to her for years and years and still make her laugh with a similar thing.

 

What is the most embarrassing moment in your career or life?

It’s hard to think of one right now… I’ll probably come up with 20 later on. It’s always very embarrassing when you have to explain yourself to someone, like someone will say ‘I know you; where are you from?’, and I’ll say ‘Kath & Kim?’ But no. Maybe it was Thank God You’re Here? Nope. Can We Help? Nope. Paper Planes? Nope. But that’s just an example of an awkward conversation…

 

Pete Rowsthorn stars as the lovesick cuck Amos Hart in the new production of ‘Chicago’ at Crown Theatre, Perth. Season runs till December 17, 2023 before transferring to the Lyric Theatre QPAC, South Brisbane from 2 January 2024. For tickets visit chicagomusical.com.au.

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