John Barrowman: ‘I do love being in front of a live audience’

The entertainer is in town for a gig at Rothes Halls on March 14 as part of a tour of regional venues, and he admits he likes to take in the surroundings before going on stage.

It’s one of seven Scottish shows in the second half of his ‘Laid Bare’ tour which consists of himself and a pianist on stage talking about his career and life - and there is much to cover.

Actor, singer, author, TV and West End star, Barrowman found himself in the eye of a storm when historic reports of inappropriate on-set behaviour surfaced in 2021. He described it at the time as tomfoolery and high-spirited behaviour, and apologised to colleagues as the fall-out engulfed his life and career.

Four years on, he is back on the road dealing with those dark days as well as returning to his roots on stage.

“I do love being in front of a live audience,” he said in a Zoom call from LA. “Nothing beats that immediate response of laughter, or a silence where you can hear a pin drop when you have them in the palm of your hand. The intimacy of a small theatre is also very different to a big hall. That’s partly why I wanted to do more regional theatres - I wanted that intimacy. I want audiences to see the emotion on my face.

“People are surprised and shocked at how honest I am - they have said it is the most up front show they have seen and they see me in a completely different light. During the first half of the tour last year, no-one went online and posted about the show afterwards - they didn’t want to give away the experience for others. I thought that was incredible and interesting.”

The Scottish dates bring the performer back to his birth country, and his itinerary takes him from Greenock to Glenrothes - his first time performing in Fife too.

“When I come to a new venue I like to explore and spend time seeing the areas and getting a flavour of the palace,” he said. “One of the good things is on this tour is while we have a set structure of songs and stories, if something happens during the day when I am in town I might talk about it on stage”

The songs range from the 1970s to the great American songbook - “people will know them all - with a selection from his 2022 Centre Stage album, while the shows also feature Q&As with the house lights turned up.

He explained: “They can ask me anything they want and I’ll give them an honest answer. Always be honest, be upfront and don’t lie.

“I do the Q&A in the first half and second half and I guarantee you’ll be shocked, and surprised, by what I have to say. At the meet and greets, people tell me they’d no idea what I went through, or they have gone through themselves and dealt with it by talking about it.

“A lot of folk don’t open up to an audience, but that is what I have always done. People shout things out and if it is something I can run with, I’ll go with it - it’s what you are meant to do on a live show.”

> John Barrowman, Laid Bare is at Rothes Halls, Glenrothes on March 14. Ticket details at onfife.com