Carlotta (performer)

Last updated

Carlotta
AM
Born
Richard Lawrence Byron [1]

(1943-09-02) 2 September 1943 (age 81)
Balmain, New South Wales, Australia
Other namesCarol Byron, Carole Spencer, Carole Lea [2]
Occupations
  • Cabaret performer
  • television personality
  • actress
  • singer
  • author
Years active1959–
Known forLes Girls (stage revue)
Television
[3]

Carlotta AM (born 2 September 1943) [1] [2] is the stage name of Carol Byron, also known as Carol Spencer and credited briefly on television as Carole Lea, [2] a transgender Australian cabaret performer and television personality.

Contents

Carlotta began her professional career in 1959 as a Bridgette Bardot-like performer, [1] as an original cast member of the long-running Sydney-based male revue Les Girls (pronounced lay-girls) cabaret show, which had an international following, in Sydney's Kings Cross. Carlotta performed spot-numbers as a singer and comedian, and eventually became the show's compere and lead attraction.

Although best known as a cabaret performer, in 1974 Carlotta appeared on the television series Number 96 as Miss Robyn Ross, in a comedic story line that saw her coming out as transgender to the surprise of her boyfriend Arnold (Jeff Kevin). Her appearance on the show marked the first time worldwide that a transgender character was portrayed by a transgender actor. [4]

As a TV presenter, Carlotta was a featured panelist on the talk show Beauty and the Beast , as well as a regular guest on the entertainment program Studio 10 . [2]

In 2021, Carlotta announced her retirement from the industry after 62 years. [5] In response, the Sydney Morning Herald cited Carlotta as an Australian legend in the vein of Don Bradman and Cate Blanchett. [6]

Biography

Early life and personal life

Carlotta was born as Richard Lawrence Byron [1] in Balmain, New South Wales on 2 September 1943, to mother Evelyn Byron, who worked for the Australian Arm of the International Red Cross and an unknown father [2] ' [7] [8]

As a child, she was taught song-and-dance routines by her mother. Neither her mother nor her stepfather approved of her subsequent transgender performing career, and she found solace in a woman she affectionately called her "Aunty Hazel". [1] [9] She had sex reassignment surgery in 1971.[ citation needed ]

In 2024, she lived in Surfers Paradise, Queensland. [10]

Career

Les Girls cabaret

Carlotta's stage name was sourced from that of Empress Carlota of Mexico. [11] Managed by impresario Lee Gordon, who had organised tours to Australia by Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland, she began her career as an original cast member of the long-running stage male revue Les Girls (pronounced lay-girls) cabaret show, which started in 1962 [3] in the purpose-built nightclub building owned by Abe Saffron in the heart of Sydney's Kings Cross. The revue was performed exclusively by males in drag costume, and Carlotta performed spot-numbers as a singer and comedian. [12] She eventually became known as "The Queen of The Cross" as the show's compere and lead attraction, performing also in Leagues clubs while touring with the show. [2]

Carlotta also appeared in the 1970 film The Naked Bunyip. [3]

Les Girls and Carlotta became an attraction for visitors to Sydney. Carlotta departed in 1992. Inspired by the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert , she mounted a revue [11] Carlotta & Her Beautiful Boys, planning to tour Australia. This was not a financial success, bankrupting her, after which she mainly appeared as a one-woman performer. [2]

Television personality

Carlotta (credited as "Carolle Lea") appeared in the soap opera Number 96 in 1973 as Robyn Ross, the new girlfriend of Arnold Feather (portrayed by Jeff Kevin). [13] In the story it was soon revealed that Robyn was in fact a transsexual showgirl, a revelation that led to the end of her romance, meaning she left the show. It is the first time anywhere in the world a trans TV character would be played by a trans actress.[ citation needed ]

From 1997, Carlotta became a regular panellist on the talk show Beauty and the Beast , hosted by Stan Zemanek. [14] Between 2013 and 2018, she made regular appearances as a panel member on morning show Studio 10. [15]

Biographical telemovie

A 90-minute telemovie, Carlotta , was screened in June 2014 with Jessica Marais acting the title role. [16] [17] The film "presents a romanticised perspective that offers only hints of the harsher realities of Byron's complex life." [2]

Stage shows

In 2005, she presented her own half-million-dollar stage production, Carlotta's KingsX, in the Big Top at Luna Park, Sydney, [18] based on her 2003 book I'm Not That Kind of Girl. [19] Produced by Brett Elliott and Richard Bernardo, the 90-minute show consisted of classic storytelling, stand-up comedy, lavish costumes, and "Les Girls" dance performances throughout. She has also toured with her one-woman show Carlotta: Live and Intimate. [20] [21] She toured, performing such songs by Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, Stephen Sondheim and her late friend Peter Allen, performing with a three-piece band headed by Michael Griffiths in 2019. [22]

Awards and honours

Carlotta was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on 26 January 2020 for services to the performing arts and the LGBTIQ community. She has also been awarded The Kings Cross Award for services to tourism, the Drag Industry Variety Award, and the Australian Club Entertainment Lifetime Achievement Award. [23] In 2018, a bronze sculpture was dedicated to her in Kings Cross, where she also has a star on the pavement. [24]

Health

In 2018, in an exclusive interview with New Idea , Carlotta stated she was suffering from a urinary tract infection, which subsequently caused bladder cancer, but doctors had discovered it early and were able to successfully surgically remove the tumour. [25]

Books

Carlotta has published two books:

As of 2013, these biographies and memoirs have been out of print. [1]

Additionally, Carlotta was a featured artist in the 1969 photo book Birds of the Cross.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drag king</span> Mostly female performance artists who dress and behave in masculine way for performance

Drag kings have historically been mostly female performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of an individual or group routine. As documented in the 2003 Journal of Homosexuality, in more recent years the world of drag kings has broadened to include performers of all gender expressions. A typical drag show may incorporate dancing, acting, stand-up comedy and singing, either live or lip-synching to pre-recorded tracks. Drag kings often perform as exaggeratedly macho male characters, portray characters such as construction workers and rappers, or impersonate male celebrities like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Tim McGraw. Drag kings may also perform as personas that do not clearly align with the gender binary. Drag personas that combine both stereotypically masculine and feminine traits are common in modern drag king shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courtney Act</span> Australian drag performer and recording artist (born 1982)

Shane Gilberto Jenek, better known under the stage name Courtney Act, is an Australian drag queen, singer and television personality. Courtney first came to prominence competing on the first season of Australian Idol in 2003. After the show, she signed to BMG Australia, and she released her debut single, "Rub Me Wrong", which peaked at No. 29 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified Gold. While auditioning for Australian Idol, she became the first LGBTQ contestant to openly appear on a reality TV talent show. In 2014, Courtney was one of the runners-up in season six of RuPaul's Drag Race. Courtney is a member of the drag girl-group, The AAA Girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Cross, New South Wales</span> Place in New South Wales, Australia

Kings Cross is an inner-eastern locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is bounded by the suburbs of Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay and Darlinghurst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Hunter</span> Australian Aboriginal singer-songwriter

Ruby Charlotte Margaret Hunter, also known as Aunty Ruby, was an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist, and the life and musical partner of Archie Roach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debra Byrne</span> Australian entertainer

Debra Anne Byrne, formerly billed as Debbie Byrne, is an Australian pop singer, variety entertainer, theatre and TV actress and writer, director and choreographer of cabaret. From April 1971 to March 1975 she was a founding cast member of Young Talent Time. She started her solo singing career with a cover version of "He's a Rebel", which peaked at No. 25 on the Go-Set Australian Singles chart. At the Logie Awards of 1974 she won Best Teenage Personality and followed with the Queen of Pop Award in October – both ceremonies were sponsored by TV Week. She repeated both wins in the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachael Beck</span> Australian actress

Rachael Elizabeth Beck is an Australian stage and television singer-actress. From 1991 to 1994 Beck had a major role on the popular sitcom, Hey Dad..!, as Samantha Kelly. From 2006 to 2008, Beck appeared on all three seasons of Seven Network's celebrity singing competition It Takes Two, as a singing coach successively for Mark Furze, Ernie Dingo and Mark Wilson. She has appeared in the Australian musical theatre productions of Cats (1985), Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1995–96), Les Misérables (1995–96), The Sound of Music, Cabaret, Singing in the Rain and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Beck released her first solo album This Girl on 7 March 2014.

Robyn Archer, AO, CdOAL is an Australian singer, writer, stage director, artistic director, and public advocate of the arts, in Australia and internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayden Tee</span> Australian actor-musician

Hayden Tee is a New Zealand actor, singer, and makeup artist. He has played varied roles in musical theatre, concert, and cabaret. He has performed in New Zealand, the UK, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robyn Nevin</span> Australian actress (born 1942)

Robyn Anne Nevin is an Australian actress, director, and stage producer, recognised with the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards and the JC Williamson Award at the Helpmann Awards for her outstanding contributions to Australian theatre performance art. Former head of both the Queensland Theatre Company and the Sydney Theatre Company, she has directed more than 30 productions and acted in more than 80 plays, collaborating with internationally renowned artists, including Richard Wherrett, Simon Phillips, Geoffrey Rush, Julie Andrews, Aubrey Mellor, Jennifer Flowers, Cate Blanchett and Lee Lewis.

James Millar is an Australian actor, singer and writer. He wrote the musical drama The Hatpin, the song cycle LOVEBiTES and co-wrote the semi-autobiographical musical A Little Touch of Chaos.

The Tender Trap was a cabaret nightclub that ran in Sydney, Australia from December 1994 to January 2000. It was one of the most successful Sydney clubs of the 1990s. The Tender Trap club pre-dated the mid 90s lounge culture phenomenon, but as the phenomenon grew, so too did the popularity of the club.

Jan Cornall is an Australian singer, comedian and writer. Known for her contributions to queer music through the group Baba Yaga during the 1970s and the hit musical Failing in Love Again (1979), Jan Cornall was a leader in the women's comedy and cabaret resurgence of the early 1980s. She has contributed to Australian community theatre, addressing issues facing regional and rural women, and had a long involvement in forging cross cultural links with Indonesian and Australian writers and artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Ashley</span> Australian actor

Trevor Ashley is an Australian musical theatre actor, cabaret, and drag artist based in Sydney. He also has appeared on television in The Very Trevor Ashley Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christie Whelan Browne</span> Australian actress (born 1982)

Christine Whelan Browne is an Australian performer who has worked extensively in musical theatre as an actress, dancer and singer. She has also appeared on television shows and in films. In March 2012, she married fellow performer, Rohan Browne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloria Dawn (actor)</span> Australian actress (1929–1978)

Gloria Dawn was an Australian actress, choreographer singer and vaudevillian performer. She was one of the leading stars of the stage from the 1950s to her death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Maunder</span> Australian cabaret and theatre performer

Lucy Maunder is an Australian cabaret and theatre performer. She originated the role of Lara in the Australian premiere of Doctor Zhivago in 2011 opposite Anthony Warlow, and toured with her own cabaret Songs in the Key of Black in 2013, releasing an album with the same name. Also in 2013, Maunder toured with the national touring company of Grease playing the role of Rizzo. In 2021-22, she starred as the adult Alison Bechdel in the Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company's co-production of Fun Home.

Anna O'Byrne is an Australian actress and soprano singer best known for her portrayal of Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera and the original Australian production of Lloyd Webber's sequel, Love Never Dies, for which she was nominated for a Green Room Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elise McCann</span>

Elise McCann is an Australian actress and musical theatre performer most well known for originating the role of Miss Honey in the Australian production of Matilda the Musical and as Lucille Ball in Everybody Loves Lucy.

Stan Munro is a female impersonator, drag performer and comedian born 1941 in Wales.. He has been performing since he was 13 years old touring with The Francis Langford Boys Choir.

<i>Carlotta</i> (film) 2014 film

Carlotta is a 2014 Australian telemovie biopic about the life of pioneering transgender performer Carol Kaye, also known as Carlotta.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Guinness, Daphne (30 August 2003). "The queen who makes a reluctant subject". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Robson, Frank (14 June 2014). "Carlotta: Let me entertain you". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "District News in Brief-Famous Les Girls Revue for Victor". Victor Harbour Times (SA : 1932 – 1986). 16 November 1984. p. 2. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  4. ↑ Number 96 "Australia's Most Infamous Address"
  5. ↑ "Review:Carlotta shows her quick wit and strong opinions". 23 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Carlotta's Farewell Tour: final shows of the Living Legend". 18 February 2021.
  7. ↑ Cockington, James 2003, published by Pan McMillan "Carlotta: I'm Not That Kind of Girl"
  8. ↑ "Carlotta, Kings Cross (Les Girls), 1970–71". National Portrait Gallery collection. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  9. ↑ McMahon Jeannette. 7 July 2014, "Carlotta's journey from schoolboy to sequins". ABC Newcastle. Retrieved 31 March 2018
  10. ↑ "Meet Carlotta, the Cross Queen". The Senior. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  11. 1 2 Hill, Rachel (4 May 1995). "Good Times Carlotta, queen of the Cross". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). p. 23. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  12. ↑ Patrick, McDonald (21 January 2019). "Carlotta bears her Cross – and her soul – at Adelaide Fringe". Adelaide Now. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  13. ↑ Idato, Michael (24 March 2016). "Transgenders in the TV mainstream". The Age Green Guide. p. 3.
  14. ↑ Encalada, Javier (14 March 2018). "Carlotta comes to town with her comedy show". Northern Star. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  15. ↑ "JUST IN: Another star has quit Studio 10". New Idea Magazine. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  16. ↑ Knox, David (22 April 2012). "Jessica Marais To Play Carlotta". tvtonight. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  17. ↑ Germon, Jennifer (20 June 2014). "Thanking Carlotta – a pioneer for sex and gender diversity". The Conversation. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  18. ↑ "Hit for six". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 May 2005. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  19. ↑ "Don't call her Diva". Star Observer. 20 April 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  20. ↑ Stephens, Bill (10 June 2016). "Carlotta – Live and Intimate". Australian Arts Review. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  21. ↑ Horner, Ceri (21 November 2014). "Feast Festival Review: Carlotta: Live and Intimate". Glam Adelaide. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  22. ↑ McDonald, Patrick (21 January 2019). "Carlotta brings her show Queen of the Cross to Adelaide Fringe". Adelaide Now. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  23. ↑ Jocelyn Garcia (25 January 2020). "'Never be ashamed of who you are': Carlotta receives OAM". The Brisbane Times.
  24. ↑ "'He Was the best lover": Carlotta reveals secret affair with Logie winner". 21 September 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  25. ↑ Craig Bennett (20 August 2018). "Showbusines legend Carlotta tells: My cancer diagnosis". New Idea.
External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg One Plus One: Carlotta, One Plus One, ABC News
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.