Richard Grieve is celebrating. After two months on the road playing the role of Bernadette in Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical, the night before speaking to What’s On he performed his first show “sore foot and blister free”.

Grieve says: “I’m wearing a corset and high heels all night and it has been very demanding physically, but finally last night I got through it without any pain! It was such a relief!”

Based on the 1994 film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the stage show tells the story of two drag queens and a transsexual woman who travel across the Australian Outback in a tour bus they have named Priscilla.

Although the outrageous outfits worn by the characters have resulted in numerous costume design awards, on stage and screen, Richard confesses that the reality of wearing them isn’t much fun.

He says: “I have 17 costume changes in the show, and it takes a lot of energy as they are often very large and complex and sometimes I only have a few seconds to get ready and back on stage. I have got an insight into some of the trials of being a woman, with tights laddering and nail polish chipping. But while the costume has its drawbacks, it helps me get into the role.”

His role is undeniably challenging, as Bernadette is a pre-op transgender whose partner has recently died. He says: “It was daunting, as in the past I have played conventional romantic leads and this is completely different, but she is a beautifully drawn character. There is sorrow and struggle in her life, but she also has a tremendous sense of humour.”

Indeed, although the show, which features a host of classic disco hits including It’s Raining Men, I Will Survive and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, is renowned for its high camp, Richard is keen to stress that there is real substance under the glittering exterior.

He says: “It’s actually a really heartwarming story about three very real characters and their relationship with each other and the highs and lows they go through.”

Richard knows the show well, as he played the character of Tick – one of the drag queens – in the final year of the West End production, a role played in this production by former Noel Sullivan, best known as part of pop group Hear’Say. He says: “I already knew Noel as we were both in Aladdin in Crawley at Christmas, and Graham Weaver plays the other main character Adam. The three of us have a great relationship which is important as we are together on stage all night.”

It is a relatively new line-up, however, as Noel has only just taken over the role from Jason Donovan, who signed up for a limited initial tour. Richard says that he enjoyed working with the fellow Australian – and fellow veteran of the soap Neighbours – although the reaction from Donovan’s fans was initially quite overwhelming.

He says: “Jason is great fun. But he is such a huge star, the response from the audience when he comes out on stage is insane.”

That kind of stardom is something that Richard purposely shied away from, after finding fame as Sam Kratz in Neighbours in 1994 and then moving to join Home and Away in 1996 as Dr Lachlan Frazer.

Now 43, he says: “I had been a jobbing actor after drama school, and Neighbours was my first big break. I was 24, and I had a lot of fun, but I wanted to have a career as an actor, I didn’t want to just become a soap star. I did two years in Neighbours, 18 months in Home and Away, and I enjoyed them both, but I decided to quit while the going was good.”

He has lived in the UK for 10 years, working in a variety of theatre productions and also recently starring as Jonny Foster in ITV soap Emmerdale. He says: “It was an interesting part, and it was a brilliant opportunity to work on such a successful UK show. I really enjoyed it, even when we were in the snow and sleet at 6am on the village set.” Indeed, despite growing up in the sunny climes of Australia, Grieve says that he feels very much at home in the UK.

He says: “A perfect Sunday for me is waking up at midday, walking my dachshund Otto and having a drink at the local pub, then cooking a roast chicken. I think I definitely have settled into the British way of life!”

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is at Tunbridge Wells’ Assembly Hall Theatre on Monday, May 6 until Saturday, May 11. Tickets from £27.50. Call 01892 530613. It is recommended only for over-15s due to its strong language and adult content.

It will also be at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford from Monday, September 9 to Saturday, September 14 (tickets from £22, call 01322 220000) and the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury from Monday, September 23 to Saturday, September 28 (tickets from £20, call 01227 787787).