After an almost unbelievable four decades of theatre going under my belt, certain performers have crossed my path from time to time and have become ingrained in my memory. One of these most definitely is Peter Straker. At the time of writing, now 78 years old, this amazing performer has a CV of stage, television, radio and recordings second to none. Not a household name alas, he nevertheless remains a legendary figure within the industry for his versatility and longevity.
My first encounter with this talent was back in 1983 at the Forum Theatre Wythenshawe (Manchester) when I was taken on a 6th Form drama trip to see The Rocky Horror Show. Richard O'Brien's cult classic was not quite the monster it has become back then, and I had no idea what the show was about. From the moment Peter entered the auditorium draped in a long black cape and sang 'Sweet Transvestite' with glitter cascading from his hair, I was captivated by his almost panther like quality. Peter made Frank 'N' Furter a dark and dangerous figure, not the campy send up that later performers would offer, but a vicious, morally bankrupt alien rogue. His searing performance ingrained itself in my psyche. Bouncing from the maniuplative sexual predator to having us in tears with his farewell song 'I'm Going Home'. Peter is a performer who knows how to tell a story.
Peter arrived from Jamaica as a young boy with his maternal grandmother and two brothers. Part of the Windrush generation, enticed to Britain in 1955 to help re-build the country after the devastation of World War II. Straker's mother had been in England for some time, having come here to study music and eventually becoming a singer. Music was in Peter's DNA from his earliest memories but in fact Peter grew up wanting to be a dramatic actor and director, rather than a musical theatre star. However it was on a night out with friends that he was persuaded to get up and sing in a pub, and Peter hasn't stopped singing since!
Having met his manager David Deyon, he started to tour the night club circuit all over the country with his singing act. A chance to audition for the new tribal rock musical Hair presented itself, the show having become a sensation in New York with its casual use of profanity and nudity. After seven auditions, Peter was finally told that one of the lead roles - Hud - would be his. The London company had to wait until the abolition of the Lord Chamberlain's Office, whom hitherto had censored such material for the stage, before the production could go ahead. In September 1969, Peter joined the original London cast - among them Paul Nicholas, Oliver Tobias, Elaine Paige and Tim Curry - at the Shaftesbury Theatre for the opening of Hair, the hippy musical becoming an even bigger hit than the New York production. It would run at the Shaftesbury until 1973.
"It was one of the first things I'd ever done. I wanted to be an actor. I happened to work with one of the great directors at that time called Tom O'Horgan. We rehearsed for nearly three months. I got to learn so much as a young person about the theatre, about what I wanted to do and what I didn't want to do. I am still good friends with a lot of people who were in this production, like Paul Nicholas, Elaine Paige, Oliver Tobias and Sonja Kristina (Curved Air). And I was lucky enough to perform it later on, in 1970, in Bergen, Norway. They didn't have enough black people in Norway at that time (laughs)."
Even before Hair had opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre, he had signed to the Polydor record label and issued his first single 'Breakfast In Bed'. There was also a version of the Jacques Brel number 'Carousel' which would signal a lifelong love of the composer's work for Straker. There followed a spate of singles, none of which bothered the UK charts save for 1972's 'The Spirit Is Willing' which had a brief brush with the Top 40. Peter was paired with the successful song writing partnership of Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley and together they wrote and issued Peter's debut solo album, 'Privates Parts' for the RCA label. The album was semi-autobiographical with Peter suggesting moments from his own upbringing and life to Howard and Blaikley to inspire their song writing. Although well received, it was not a sales success, however the track 'Evensong' was later immortalised in an instrumental version as the theme for the BBC's hugely successful Miss Marple series in the 1980s. More singles followed including a version of 'Toucha-Toucha-Touch Me' from The Rocky Horror Show, all quality recordings showcasing Peter's incredible vocal range.
Of course further theatre work beckoned which included the play A Taste Of Honey at the Young Vic, Hair in Norway, an ecological musical Mother Earth at the Roundhouse (from which Peter's single 'Sail On Sweet Universe' was taken) and Pilgrim - a musical take on The Pilgrim's Progress with music by Carl Davis.
In 1971 Peter (billed simply as 'Straker') accepted the role of Jo Delaney in the movie Girl Stroke Boy, a feature which has now achieved cult status with Peter playing the new 'friend' of a boy who takes 'them' to meet his parents. Directed by Bob Kellett from a script by Ned Sherrin and Caryl Brahms, the gender fluid theme of the piece is now considered a groundbreaking piece of cinema.
Amid a flurry of theatre and cabaret work, Peter returned to the recording studio in 1977 for an album 'This One's On Me' produced by Roy Thomas Baker and Freddie Mercury. It was critically well received and included the single 'Ragtime Piano Joe' which became a hit in Europe and more of Straker's obsession with the work of Jacques Brel, a single 'Jackie'. There followed two further albums 'Changeling' in 1978 and 'Real Natural Man' in 1980 from which the single 'Late Night Taxi Dancer' became a big favourite with influential DJ Kenny Everett. This renewed interest in Peter's voice led to a top of the bill concert tour which ended with a show at the New London Theatre. The ITV network broadcast half an hour of Peter's concert nationwide as part of their 'In Concert' series.
For a long time Peter's albums of the late 1970s remained collectable items, but in 2020 the Cherry Red label issued a deluxe box set of all three albums on CD and digital download which brought them to public attention once again.
"I became very disillusioned with the record industry. Looking back, it is very difficult to know how it works but I was never in fashion. You couldn’t get people to play the stuff. At the beginning I thought it doesn’t matter who plays it or if anyone plays it, but, of course, it does matter because what’s the point in having something out if no one listens to it at all? Whether or not things have changed, I don’t know. I don’t know if anyone will play these now, but I am putting it out again in the hope that there might be a different generation who might say “That’s great” or maybe “That’s dreadful” (Laughs), but at least they will have had a chance to listen to it."
Peter even found time to appear opposite Tom Baker as Doctor Who battling Daleks and their creator Davros as Movellan Commander Sharrel in a classic 1979 story 'Destiny Of The Daleks'. At around the same time, Peter performed the role of 'The Narrator' in the stage version of The Who's rock opera Tommy at the Queen's Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue.
Peter is perhaps best remembered to television viewers as lothario Dev in Central Television's hard hitting look at the Midlands fashion industry, Connie in which he co-starred with Stephanie Beacham, Pam Ferris and George Costigan. Although only one series was made, it is still considered a fine example of 1980s excess, with its bitchy power women and bed hopping antics.
Among Peter's best known theatre roles has been as The Phantom in Ken Hill's The Phantom of the Opera which has toured the UK, had a season at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London and played Japan, where it was recorded for TV broadcast. Peter recorded a cast album of the show too.
"One of my favorite roles was Lucio in Measure For Measure (1981) at the National Theatre. I like Shakespeare. When it comes to musicals (it) is difficult. Apart from Hair, which is one of the most exciting things I ever done, it's Kenny Hill's original Phantom Of The Opera (1984). I played the original Phantom. This was a completely different version to the one by Andrew Lloyd Webber. That was the first time it was ever done. We toured England, Japan and the Far East. It was great to play that role of the Phantom. I also liked my role in Pete Townshend's Tommy. In 1979, I played 'The Narrator.' Three years ago, I played in another Tommy production (in) the role of 'the Acid Queen.' Pete Townshend wrote a new song for me."
Perhaps my personal favourite theatre role of Peter's is in Jeanne The Musical by Shirlie Roden, a rock opera about the life and death of Joan of Arc, in which Peter played the terrifying prosecutor Bishop Pierre Cauchon at Jeanne's trial. Peter appeared in Birmingham (1985) and Sadler's Well's (1986) and has more recently reprised the role at the Turbine Theatre (2022). The original demo recordings with Peter singing Cauchon were eventually released by Stage Door Records in 2015. A further blog on this show can be read HERE.
A lengthy break from the recording industry (save for an album of covers in 1993 going under the title of 'Holding On') ended when a studio album and live DVD 'Peter Straker's Brel' was released in 2013. Peter has continued to champion the work of Jacques Brel from the very begining of his career with the 1970s singles, it seemed only fitting that a full show was created to allow him to interpret the catalogue of the Belgian composer as only Peter can. A huge success at the Edinburgh Festival and London, it remains a favourite project with Straker and one he likes to re-visit from time to time. I have only touched on Peter's theatre credits, the list is a long one: Blues In The Night, Give The Gaffers Time To Love You at the Royal Court (co-starring once again with Tim Curry), the title role in The Wiz, Hot Stuff The Musical, Nosferatu The Vampire, Sondheim's Assassins... I could go on and on.
If you Google the name Peter Straker, chances are the search engines will point you to numerous articles on Peter's friendship with Freddie Mercury. Whilst Mercury should always be honoured for his contribution to rock, it seems a shame that Straker is underated as an entertainer himself. There is no pigeon hole you can put Straker in. He is a classical actor. He is a pop star. He is a musical theatre actor. He is a cabaret performer. He is a television actor. He is an activist. He is simply Peter Straker. No genre is capable of holding such a unique and talented performer. With rumours of another album on the way, there is no stopping this force of nature as he approaches Octogenrian status. I count myself lucky to have seen a handful of his roles in his rich career. Long may Straker continue to amaze and thrill us.
Rob Cope
Keep up with Peter Straker's activities via his NEWSITE and ADVENTURES OF STRAKER
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