The goddess Morrigan is here! Bonnie Kilrore joins Dial the Gate to discuss “Goa’uld Mardi Gras” in “Summit” and “Last Stand” and to explore her wild career impresonating celebrities!

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TRANSCRIPT
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David Read:
Welcome everyone to Episode 438 of Dial the Gate: The Stargate Oral History Project. My name is David Read. I appreciate you being with me for this episode. I am really excited about this one because, as a lot of you know, “Summit” and “Last Stand” were my favorite shows for a really long time in the Stargate canon and one of the reasons was Goa’uld Mardi Gras. We got to look at a huge tapestry of Goa’uld in this episode and it was the villains on full display. To that end, with this episode, I am privileged to welcome Bonnie Kilroe, Morrigan in Stargate SG-1. Thank you so much, Bonnie, for being with me for this episode. It is a treat to have you and actually get to talk with you and hear what you have to say.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I have a voice for once.

David Read:
You were among the people who were unspeaking, and I was like, “I can’t wait to hear what she has to say about this absolutely outrageous group of performers and costumes who were there for an important part of Stargate canon and came up repeatedly through the rest of the show,” and to get to know you a little bit as well, so thank you for being here.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Pleasure.

David Read:
I wanna get to this from the top. You have a program that is … Would you describe it as cabaret?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Yeah, it’s a musical comedy cabaret, I would say. It’s sort of like a Vegas cruise ship. I’ve performed everywhere. I’ve done it all aside from full-on stripping, in terms of performance, Necessity is the mother of invention, so that’s why I discovered my show. I didn’t actually have the show until just after Stargate, funny enough.

David Read:
Really?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Yeah, I’ve been doing it since 2001 and I think 2000 is when I did Stargate. I think it was 2000 or 2001.

David Read:
It was 2000, middle of 2001, that’s right.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Middle of 2001 and that, I think, was my first show that year. I’ve taken that show everywhere. I’ve got five shows now and I did work on cruise ships. It started off as a really bad show with cassette tapes, ’cause I’m one of those people that makes it happen. I’m like, “I want adventure. I wanna do a show,” and I threw it together with terrible costumes and wigs and then I got this cruise contract from someone named John Whitefoot. I don’t think he’s working anymore, but he took a chance on me and I went on the cruise ships. It was around that time, because I was trying to break into film. I really feel like I didn’t get a chance to be Morrigan, to really have a voice. I would’ve loved, “Gimme something to work with.”

David Read:
That’s a powerful woman sitting there.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I was given very little direction but I knew I was the boss. I had a slave, so I was like, “Ah, I can work with that no problem.”

David Read:
The choice of costume suggests that she probably enjoyed that slave.

Bonnie Kilroe:
She did. For sure she did. That costume took weeks of fittings.

David Read:
Weeks?

Bonnie Kilroe:
I’m not joking … Weeks. That was full leather, OK? My boobs were hoisted so high, almost up to my chin, and I was in that for probably 14 hours a day. At the end of, I guess, the last day, I had blisters under my boobs. And girls, you know how sensitive that skin under, anywhere on your boobs, but the underside of your boob is such frail skin. They were propped. There was nothing to take off, I had to wear that the whole time. They made that specifically, obviously, for all of us. We all had a custom costume, but I think my costume was the hardest one because it’s just … I would love to see or to know where that costume is. I’m happy to say I can probably fit into it. I can still fit into it. I’m hardly up a size. Actually, I might be down a size.

David Read:
No, I wanna go straight off the bat. You were so kind to bring some photos in and I’d like to have a look at them with you here. ‘Cause you took a whole roll of film.

Bonnie Kilroe:
There’s probably more. I’m sure there’s one somewhere.

David Read:
How many days was this? Was this a few days?

Bonnie Kilroe:
I’m trying to remember. It might have been three. Many fittings. A whole lot of fittings for that costume alone.

David Read:
Christina McQuarrie’s a beast. The stuff that she could pull off was wild.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Incredible. That’s a friend of mine, Angela Case. She’s stunning. She’s gorgeous. She lives in the interior now. She’s like a model; she’s so beautiful. Actually, I’ll never forget that day. They put this green eyeshadow on me for the first time and for the last 25 years I’ve been going after that green eyeshadow. It was because of Stargate. I’m not wearing it exactly today, but that minty … It was Lise Watier. I think they stopped making it, but I got another similar shade.

David Read:
Found something that works.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It’s funny when you think of those things. I think, “What did I get out of that?” I wore that eyeshadow my entire life. That shade.

David Read:
That’s the thing, if you find something that works, then go with it.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I was like mm-hmm.

David Read:
That is not the first time that I’ve heard that kinda thing from performers on Stargate, where “They found this for me and it was like, match made in heaven. I’m done. I don’t need anything else. This is me.” That is so cool.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It’s pretty cool. It is cool. I was gonna say that I remember now, ’cause I’ve been thinking about the time, even though it was brief, we mentioned earlier Gary Jones. I totally forgot that he was on the show and that I did this course with him last year. Such an awesome man. Love him. Also, Paul Anthony, I remember he was also on Stargate because he ran Talent Time in Vancouver. It’s a pretty small community and I was on his show a couple of times because of my crazy cabaret acts. Did you interview him?

David Read:
I haven’t talked with Paul yet, but yes.

Bonnie Kilroe:
He would probably be great.

David Read:
He’s definitely on my to-do list because he had a place in Atlantis, as well as SG-1. Cool guy. Nefarious character.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Very cool. Nice guy. But it’s 25 years later, which is so hard to believe. My God.

David Read:
So, this is Kwesi Ameyaw and he was Olokun.

Bonnie Kilroe:
He was really nice. I didn’t get to talk too much with him, but there’s all of us.

David Read:
Vince Crestejo.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It was so sunny that day, I remember. I was like, “I gotta get some shots in this light.”

David Read:
You count those days in Vancouver. That’s right.

Bonnie Kilroe:
The rare days. I love that shot.

David Read:
Amazing costume. Kali.

Bonnie Kilroe:
That shot is stunning. I would love for her to see this picture.

David Read:
I can get in touch with her.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Dude, please share this.

David Read:
I’m forgetting her name.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Share these photos. I can’t remember her name either, but she was really, really sweet and she’s just stunning. I love taking pictures. I love photography.

David Read:
Clearly, you know what you’re doing.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I was so glad ’cause this is a really good shot with an actual camera. Not like a digital.

David Read:
There we go.

Bonnie Kilroe:
So funny. There’s my slave.

David Read:
You know how to have a good time, don’t you?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Good times, baby.

David Read:
Wow. Look at that bodice. My goodness.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It was heavy. Full leather. It wasn’t cheap fake shit. It was good.

David Read:
They weren’t messing around.

Bonnie Kilroe:
No. The hair and the makeup, it took so much time to get ready, so much prep. I’m thinking back, ’cause I did lots of background work while I was on set. I was on Stargate a couple of times in the past.

David Read:
Really?

Bonnie Kilroe:
It’s great to have these photos, especially for the fans.

David Read:
They’re gonna eat it up.

Bonnie Kilroe:
No one’s ever seen these photos. I’ve just had them in my photo album with thousands of other randoms, from days gone by. It’s nice to have them appreciated.

David Read:
No, we are absolutely gonna appreciate them. These are fantastic. This was, in terms of the mythology, our first real look at the collective bad guys that were the System Lords. We knew that they decided what was gonna be happening in the galaxy and whether or not the Goa’uld were gonna come after us on a Tuesday or a Thursday, or if they were gonna leave us alone, but we had never really seen them as a group before. Then, this episode comes along, and it’s a showcase. These are the beings who run the galaxy and they know that they’re the ones in charge because they control all the star systems. Man, look at that.

Bonnie Kilroe:
That’s great.

David Read:
I didn’t realize how wide it was.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I know. I don’t actually have much hips but they gave me some very nice hips there.

David Read:
Were the shoes comfortable?

Bonnie Kilroe:
No. Pretty sure those were thigh-high boots. I don’t know if you can see zoomed in.

David Read:
Oh, you’re tall.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I remember them being very high and incredibly uncomfortable. But worth it, you know what I mean?

David Read:
That’s the thing.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Suck it up, lady. You look fabulous.

David Read:
Do you feel like a million bucks when you’re in ’em?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Yeah.

David Read:
There’s something to be said when you factor in pain and poise. You may not be saying anything, but that character is speaking volumes just by being there in that.

Bonnie Kilroe:
That’s right. When they talk about women wearing the pantsuit and having that sort of solid confidence. But when you’re wearing an outfit like that, you feel like, “I can take on the world.”

David Read:
The universe.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It’s pretty great. It was easy for me. It might not be easy for other people to present that way, but it was not a problem. I was like, “Yeah.”

David Read:
What’s the word that I want?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Dominatrix? Just kidding.

David Read:
It is but the word that I wanted was bold. Someone doesn’t dress like this unless they’re making a specific statement, a couple of them. A, dominatrix, I clearly enjoy this body. It’s one of the things about the Goa’uld, they pick their hosts very deliberately. They pick beautiful people for a reason and this one’s gonna yuck it up, obviously. Also, it’s like, “Don’t mess with me.” Steer clear.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Sexually attractive. It’s not “Mess with me.” It’s “Don’t fuck with me,” she’s ready to rock. She’s ready to shoot anyone down that gives her the wrong look. She’s ready to go in terms of killing and going to bed. She’s ready.

David Read:
She’s killing it out there on the battlefield and in there.

Bonnie Kilroe:
In the sheets? Yeah.

David Read:
That’s it, in the sheets.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I don’t think she’d be in the sheets or in the dark, though.

David Read:
We sold those. I was a part of the team that sold those set pieces and those thrones were heavy. That was solid wood and when you sat on them, they were not comfortable, but they were a status symbol in and of themselves, those thrones.

Bonnie Kilroe:
So, where did they go?

David Read:
The auctions. I’m sure your costume went up for auction. I didn’t sell it. It was long gone before I got it. I was one of the final rounds when Stargate SG-1 was wrapping shop. It’s in a collector’s hands somewhere and hopefully they’ll come up and say, “I’ve got it. Here are photos.”

Bonnie Kilroe:
Should be in touch about that kind of thing. Interesting.

David Read:
Absolutely. People come and go in this fandom and pop-up years later and say, “I’ve got this.” It’s amazing the stuff that we as a group regain access to because either someone has passed and it’s come into someone else’s hands and they’re like, “I knew that this was this show, but can someone please identify it for me?” That’s the amazing thing about the online community. It’s wild.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I know, I love that. I love that and then hearing, you get to remember the old stories and find out the new stories that you might have been a part of.

David Read:
That’s right. A production that ran this long, there’s always something new that you can learn.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It’s great.

David Read:
Who’s this?

Bonnie Kilroe:
I can’t remember now. I think she might have done my makeup. I’m trying to remember. I don’t remember. When you first started, that’s back, by the way, kids, that’s before selfies.

David Read:
Before selfies?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Yeah, that’s me with just a freaking camera, kinda thinking, “This is probably gonna work.” And it worked.

David Read:
When the selfies were blurry because we didn’t have autofocus. It’s like, “This is as far as I can do it.” Aw, thank you for sharing these, Bonnie. That was great.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I’m glad.

David Read:
That was really cool. How young were you when you realized you had the performing gift? When you first started, that you wanted to be on stage for a living, that you wanted to show a part of the inside of you out there to everyone, that you wanted to project?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Yeah, high school.

David Read:
High school, OK.

Bonnie Kilroe:
High school. I remember auditioning, this is ridiculous, but there’s a play called The Gift of the Magi and it’s an opera. There’s only two people in the story. I don’t know if you know The Gift of the Magi?

David Read:
Christmas?

Bonnie Kilroe:
The story. Do you know it?

David Read:
No.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Anyway, I’ll explain it quickly.

David Read:
I’m assuming it’s Christmas.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It’s a very conservative play about a young married couple from the early 1900s and they’re very much in love and they’re very poor. She cuts her hair to buy a chain for his watch and he sells his watch to get her a comb for her long hair. It’s really sweet and at the end they give each other the presents and it’s like, “Oh, no. You don’t have your watch, but we love each other. It doesn’t matter about the things we have; it’s about the love.” Anyway, I got that leading role and it was a big deal back then. My audition was Carol Burnett singing Little Girls, the musical Little Girls. I don’t know if you remember. It’s like, “Little girls, little girls, everywhere you go you can see them.” It was an insane comedy musical number where I was on my back with my skirt up and sticking my feet up like this. Somehow, they gave the part to me. I don’t know what did it but I was shocked.

David Read:
“I’m sure she can tone it down. I’m sure.”

Bonnie Kilroe:
Exactly. Let’s put her hair up in a little bun and give her everything covered from here down and have her sing opera. Somehow, they saw something in me and anyways, it was a wonderful experience. I worked with a friend of mine, Brian Olinder, who has since worked with Michael Buble. He’s an incredible music director and singer himself. He did the music. It’s so funny the things we remember, those early shaping moments of high school.

David Read:
It’s the things that stand out that define us for the rest of our lives. That’s a huge period of development. We feel things most intense then, and a lot of our dreams come out of that time period. That’s really cool.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Exactly. It’s such a beautiful time. I love it.

David Read:
Is there an experience that you’ve had where you’ve connected with an audience or an audience member from your time on stage, or where you’ve connected with the material in such a way that you didn’t expect, or with a member of the crowd in a way that you didn’t expect, that came to you afterwards and said, “Do you know what? I really needed that,” or, “That meant X to me.”

Bonnie Kilroe:
So many times, every time, every show. That’s probably 90% of why I do it, because of how the audience feels. My show is really hard to do and I’m getting older. I’ve got these autoimmune disorders that I’ve suddenly become aware of and I’m like, “Now that makes sense.” Each show I do, it’s climbing a mountain to do it. But afterwards, to speak with people or hear them say that, “I haven’t laughed like that in years,” or, “I used to listen to Barbra Streisand with my mom and she’s no longer here.” When I do Patsy Cline shows, God, it’s so beautiful to see the people remembering. Actually, I used to do seniors’ homes when I was in my early 20s and I moved up from that. But now, I’m doing a few more just because they’re easy. They’re easy on me, they’re midweek afternoon shows. I’m like, “Yeah, I’ll be there.” That’s charming.

David Read:
That’s right. They all go to bed at six o’clock.

Bonnie Kilroe:
“Dinner’s at 3:30.” I’ve got one actually this week. I only started doing this a few months ago ’cause I filled in for someone. We’re talking cruise ship homes; we’re not talking long-term. These are $10,000 a month places that I would love to go when the time comes, in West Vancouver type of deal. It’s a beautiful thing to have the audience come up to you and thank you. I think that is a massive gift. I love meeting people after the show. I love getting photos. People tell me about their relatives, their husband. It’s wonderful, either the laughing or the tears of happiness of remembering their loved ones through laughing and seeing me on stage impersonating somebody. It’s really beautiful.

David Read:
There’s a cast member by the name of Andee Frizell, who has joined us a few times now. She played the Wraith Queen in Atlantis. One of her causes is specifically focused on the elderly, especially when they get to the age where they’re infirm, or we have to, in some cases, place them in a home or a facility. Our society throws these people away, that’s wrong. What you’re doing is giving back and reminding all of us that they still have stories that they can share and they still deserve to be heard once the stage lights go down.

Bonnie Kilroe:
100%. When I do seniors’ homes, my favorite thing is to stay afterwards. It’s different when I do my big diva show, I’m physically exhausted at the end of those shows. People usually wanna come up and get a photo, but when I do the seniors’ homes, I wanna meet them. I met the most incredible people that have told me the most incredible stories of their lives, or stories from World War I, and it’s fascinating. There they are, these wise elders that are a lot weaker, but they’re still there. They have so much to offer if you would listen to them. One of my ideas is to go in and do a little video of people talking. Singing is a wonderful thing ’cause I know I’m giving them happiness and reminiscing. I really would love to go and videotape them talking about their lives before they’re gone.

David Read:
You need a videographer. You need a videographer to do that with you because you could couple that with your in, which is the performance. They’re making a connection with you through the performer that you are emulating and through the talent that you are genuinely presenting and the music and your gift of gab, which is also important, to listen as well. That sounds like what you’re doing.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I ask questions.

David Read:
You get yourself a good videographer and an editor and that’s something really special.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I know. That’s my problem. I did video because I love editing myself. My problem is always, “Ugh, I can’t do it all. I need someone on this end.” I can do all the editing, but I can’t shoot and be in it. Even though I don’t have to be in it, I can shoot them, but it’s just…

David Read:
Is that something you would be interested in having me reach out to sort of Vancouver fans and ask about it?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Facilitate? Please, please do.

David Read:
I’ve got a number of Vancouverites on here who have camera experience. If you’d like, I’ll have them reach out to you through your website. Let’s go ahead and set that up while we’re at it right now.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Absolutely, please do. Great.

David Read:
That sounds very special.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It is.

David Read:
So, to contact you here, this is celebrity-imposters.com.

Bonnie Kilroe:
That’s right.

David Read:
This is how they can get in touch with you to book a show or to get more information. So, we’re going to have that out there for everybody.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Thank you.

David Read:
That’s something that’s really awesome.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It is. I’m doing one in three days. I’m not doing a lot of them, but I’m looking forward to it and I had to tell Joe, my husband, that I really wanna do that. I really wanna talk to them and hear their stories.

David Read:
It’s the way that you give back. It’s very similar to what we’re doing here. This actually brings me to my next question. Country Queens, you’ve got tickets on sale here. Are these ones that are multiple costume changes?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Even Patsy Cline, I do multiple costume changes, it’s kind of my thing. Energy is a big thing in my show, where you’re constantly entertained. But then with Patsy Cline, I get to also sing the songs that are gonna resonate and they’re beautiful. Sweet Dreams, I Fall to Pieces, Crazy. 90% of Patsy Cline stuff is sad.

David Read:
She means it.

Bonnie Kilroe:
There’s very little, “Ah, let’s sing a song and get happy.” It’s more like, “Oh, no. I lost him again.”

David Read:
I fall to pieces.

Bonnie Kilroe:
That’s right.

David Read:
Wilting. But that voice though. That, I think, begs the obvious question. I’m always curious about this, what’s an individual’s strategy ’cause they’re all different? How do you keep the energy up when you’re changing costume? How do you keep them going?

Bonnie Kilroe:
First of all, they’re very quick.

David Read:
I was gonna say.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Honestly, the costume changes are the hellish part of my show because I can’t do anything slowly. I’ve got between 15 and 45 seconds to make my costume change.

David Read:
So, you start with the thicker stuff, I’m assuming and work your way down.

Bonnie Kilroe:
No. I don’t do a lot of layering; most of it’s full. What my ideal preference is, depending on the venue, is when they have a screen, what I do is I have little clips that play and they’re clips of me. For instance, I just did an Australian tour, which was incredible. I had so much fun. It was a real adventure. I’d never been before and I was like, “I wanna go to Australia. Where can I do my show where people would get it and wanna see?” I started planning it last year. I did it all myself. It almost didn’t happen ’cause I’m one of those people that’s just like, “I have an idea and I’m gonna start working on it before I figure out if it’s smart to do.” So, after I booked all six shows, I realized by Googling, “Oh, you need a sponsor.” What? Why would I need a… Anyways, you do, you need a sponsor.

David Read:
To come into work.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It was a miracle that I even got one and he even told me he felt sorry for me. He’s so sweet. When I went there, I’m like, “You took a chance on me.” He goes, “Well…” He sounded more British, actually, than Australian. He’s like, “Well, I kind of felt sorry for you, so…” I was like, “Well, thank you for taking pity on me ’cause I got to have this amazing adventure.” Back to the clips, I thought, “Oh, this will be fun when I do my Julie Andrews number. Maybe I’ll get dressed up as Julie Andrews and I’ll run around the Sydney Opera House and make a funny video of doing that instead of my usual video that I use here in Vancouver.” So, I made a new video there and it’s hilarious.

David Read:
At the opera house?

Bonnie Kilroe:
It’s the footage of The Sound of Music and it starts with the original Sound of Music and then it zooms in on Maria.

David Read:
Spinning on a hillside?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Spinning and then she turns around and the close-up turns and it’s me in Australia at the Sydney Opera House. It’s me running around and bobbing behind trees.

David Read:
“The sails are alive…”

Bonnie Kilroe:
Exactly. It’s so much fun and it was 35 degrees that day. Oh my God.

David Read:
It’s toasty.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It was really hot.

David Read:
Man, what an experience, though. That’s cool.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It was really wonderful; I’d love to go again. Hope he feels sorry for me enough that he’ll take me a second time.

David Read:
How long were you down there?

Bonnie Kilroe:
24 days, did four shows. I canceled two ’cause the ticket sales were… nobody has a clue. My show is so hard to sell because they’re like, “Is it drag? What is it?” Until they see it, they don’t know. Everyone’s always like, “Wow, I didn’t know it was gonna be like that. I wasn’t expecting that.” Which is nice to hear, but I try to present it so that people understand what it is, but it is very difficult. Unless you see it, it’s hard to explain. I’m a woman and I sing and I do costume changes, but I’m not a tribute artist. Really more like a comedian, but I do tribute some of them and then some of them I parody.

David Read:
It sounds like a variety show. It’s just a matter of messaging it. The other thing is, this always surprises me, especially since a lot of your repertoire is country, you never know who’s going to be a big country fan. I’m always surprised when people come here to Nashville from far-flung parts of the Earth. There are huge country fans out there. It’s like, “Really? You?” They’re like, “Yeah, that’s all I listen to.” It’s like, “Wow. Wow.”

Bonnie Kilroe:
It’s crossed over for a lot of people.

David Read:
Very much so.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Country. And you know what?

David Read:
Country, I’m not a huge fan.

Bonnie Kilroe:
No, I’m not crazy into country, but I love comedy, that’s my thing. I love bringing people together and I have someone for everybody. I have Edith freaking Bunker in the show, OK? Edith Bunker.

David Read:
Really?

Bonnie Kilroe:
From All in the Family. Yes.

David Read:
Yeah?

Bonnie Kilroe:
And it gets huge laughs.

David Read:
How Archie?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Archie. I sing. Other people are like, “What?” I do other characters that other generations don’t know, but it’s still funny to watch even if they don’t know who it is and then they learn a little something. I put Taylor Swift in the show and I sing Shake It Off, but it’s a parody. True to my life, it’s about a menopausal woman and it’s about wearing a bra that’s too tight and it’s called Take It Off. It’s really, really funny. I just changed all the words and then I have the words on the screen so they can read it ’cause it’s quite fast. It’s much better when people can hear the words or hear it and see them written as I’m singing.

David Read:
They’re processing it.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Exactly. They’re processing. So that’s really fun.

David Read:
Are you finding that Taylor bit is really hitting?

Bonnie Kilroe:
With a certain age group, 100%. But I recently did the Lido Theatre in Fort St. John and I had so many young girls, which I was really surprised because I do all the classic divas. I’m 55 years old, so I can only authentically impersonate so many, it has to be a parody once you get over it. I take care of myself and everything and I’m still pulling off characters that I’m like, “Really? Are you still doing her?” like Marilyn Monroe. From a distance, all you have to do is put on the voice and put in the wig. Of course, when I do my show, my lips are twice the size; you’d never know. I look totally different when I do my show makeup, this is just a little bit of makeup.

David Read:
We’re getting to see you.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I’m a chameleon. This is what I look like with a little bit of makeup.

David Read:
To be honest, when you were coming on, when I was planning to have you come on, I was like, “I wonder who’s gonna show up.” You could have picked one and then it’d be like, “I guess I’m talking to Cher.”

Bonnie Kilroe:
I thought about doing that.

David Read:
“I’ve got you, babe. Let’s do this.”

Bonnie Kilroe:
“OK, babe, let’s do it. Let’s go.” If you ever wanna do that, I’ll do that.

David Read:
I may have to have you back as one.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Totally, I’ll do that. I wish I had a Morrigan’s wig because I don’t have the amount of hair that I had back then.

David Read:
That was your hair.

Bonnie Kilroe:
When I look back at those photos, holy shit, that was my hair. I’m like, “Holy fuck, where did my hair go?” It’s incredible. It was so much hair just piled and piled and piled and of course, they backcomb every tiny little piece of it.

David Read:
To the inch of its life.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I don’t remember how I got all of that out of my hair. I don’t remember. It was 25 years ago. Wow.

David Read:
You said weeks of costume fittings.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Yes. Over a period of probably… I don’t know, three weeks maybe?

David Read:
Three weeks?

Bonnie Kilroe:
I didn’t go every day.

David Read:
But they were making adjustments.

Bonnie Kilroe:
No, this was a huge job. I remember her saying “This is the hardest one.” Or, “This is my most prized thing.” She’s really proud of it.

David Read:
Christina was extraordinary. How much of that was run by you? It’s like, “Are you cool with this? Are you cool with us pushing the ladies up there this high?”

Bonnie Kilroe:
No.

David Read:
So, they just they mold you like clay?

Bonnie Kilroe:
For me, I’ve never been that one that’s like, “Oh, do you mind if I… Maybe I think I look better if…” I’m like, “I’m here for you. You guys tell me…”

David Read:
You’re the canvas.

Bonnie Kilroe:
“… what you want and I will move my boob this way or that way. Whatever way you want.” So, it was fun. We had fun with that. I said, “Just do whatever… Tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it.”

David Read:
I’ve got some fan questions for you. Marcia Middleton – Have friends, family, or fans suggested characters that you have incorporated into your shows?

Bonnie Kilroe:
I remember my sisters telling me, “You should try doing Reba.” I was like, “Really?” We were sitting around the barbecue in Chilliwack. It was a summer day and we were drinking some wine. I was like, “Well, let me try them and see if I can do the voice.” We were all laughing our asses off and they’re like, “Oh my God, you should do Reba. You can sound like her.” I started making my lip a little… It sort of came up from a conversation, a few laughs over some wine and I tried her in the show.

David Read:
It works.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Reba is one of people’s favorite characters in the show because. I like to make videos where I say, “What’s your favorite show or favorite character? Which one’s your favorite?” They tell me and it’s always Cher, Dolly, Tina. Reba and lately Taylor, which is funny. I wear the wig a little shorter and I have these heart-shaped glasses and a T-shirt and I come out over it. I’m talking, I’m singing about my menopausal symptoms; it’s really funny, it’s ridiculous.

David Read:
If the audience is gonna fall in love with it, it comes down to whether or not you believe it. If you believe it then they see that it’s earnest, they see that you’re not just trying to pull a fast one on them, that you’re having a good time with them, a little bit at the expense of yourself, the audience will go with you the rest of the way.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I make fun of myself more than anyone in the audience, for sure. I had a show yesterday and I was doing a festival in Maple Ridge and they wanted a show called Through the Decades. I didn’t get to do my usual show, which I could do in my sleep because I know who goes after who and how much time I have and this and that. I was like, “Ah, I gotta do this new thing and I don’t really know what to do.” I was racking my brain. I’m like, “OK.” I always tend to overdo; I tend to put in too much. So, 45-minute show, I’ve got nine costume changes and I was like, “What am I doing to myself?” I’m like, “Well, that’s gonna be too long and I wanna try to medley in this.” Anyways, got there and saw that it’s outdoor venue, grass, bugs, one table, thank God. I brought my own rack, I brought my own tables, I’ve got two massive suitcases. I had some help, a little bit of help there with me. The costume change area was miles away from the stage and I’m like, “How am I gonna do this?” At one point I was thinking, “OK, well I’ll start off as Marilyn,” ’cause it was Through the Decades, so you want ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, 2000. Of course, it went in that order, but anyway. As Marilyn, I asked these boys who were there to help me put on my boots, so during my Marilyn bit, I could not waste time changing in the back. I forgot to get my shoes back from them when they put my boots on and then when I came out as Tina Turner, eventually, ’cause I had other boots I was wearing, I had to go out in my bare feet. People are like, “Oh, fishnet feet,” but the audience really love when something happens and they’re on the ride with you. They really enjoy that. I never look like I sweat anything when it happens. I don’t, because it’s a comedy show and if something goes wrong, OK. I’ll let everyone know and I told them to throw my shoes up while I was Tina and I made some kind of joke out of it and I love to involve the audience with me ’cause I want people to feel like we’re all in this together. It’s fun.

David Read:
I have a friend by the name of Diana Botsford, she was a part of a stage production of The Wizard of Oz at one point a while ago. There’s a model of the Witch of the West, it’s about yay big, shooting across a wire in the background when she’s on her broom and her little tutu gets stuck in the wrong direction on the doll as it shoots across the stage. She enters stage right, the actor, and she’s pulling the tutu back down, or whatever it is that she was wearing. She saw the doll fly by and maintained that continuity for the audience.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I love that. I love that.

David Read:
It’s little things like that that the audience really appreciates. They don’t know if it was accidental or on purpose, but they just go with it.

Bonnie Kilroe:
That is a great analogy or story anecdote. I love that. That’s so true.

David Read:
You weave it in.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Absolutely. I’m thinking now, I forget when it was, maybe a few weeks ago, I did a show and it’s always the really funny part of the show where I get a guy to be a Sonny Bono to my Cher. He’s up there and I always sing for him. I do a bad ventriloquy but I guess it’s good enough that everyone laughs their ass off ’cause they know I’m singing it, but I make him mouth the words. I had a guy who was going like, “Uh.” He wasn’t opening and closing his mouth much, so I went with it and I was mumbling what I thought he might be saying. I was like, “Ah.” It really went over hilariously, so I kept doing it. I was watching him and whatever mouth movement he made, I was trying to make a noise as to what I thought that mouth movement might mean.

David Read:
Every audience is gonna land differently. You never know. Sometimes you have a tough crowd and others it’s like, “Man, this one just does itself.””

Bonnie Kilroe:
They’re giving to me. The Lido I did, with the young girls who were after, they were just like, “Oh my God, you were freaking amazing, man. Can you come drink with us?” They were just so into it and it was so funny. But other audiences, I’m like, “Oh my God. I’m pulling teeth out there, ah.” This is hard work. They’ll still come up and say how much they loved it because not every crowd is gonna be as enthusiastic on the outside, they might be feeling it on the inside. I’ll watch funny things and I’ll be thinking it’s funny. I’m just watching, thinking in my head, “That’s clever. Oh, that’s really good.”

David Read:
I can only imagine you have a quiet room and afterwards they come out, they’re like, “We loved it.” I’m like, “Really?”

Bonnie Kilroe:
Why didn’t you tell me?

David Read:
This is a two-way conversation.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Sometimes you get the front row and they all look like those two guys from the Muppet Show. They’re just miserable.

David Read:
Statler and Waldorf? I know that. Except they’re usually laughing at themselves. “Doh.” Geez. Man. That’s funny stuff. How much longer can you see yourself doing this?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Good question.

David Read:
You talked about autoimmune disease that you discovered. Realistic here.

Bonnie Kilroe:
“Why are you still doing this?” Five years? Honestly, I’ll do it for as long as I can. If my show didn’t require the amount of energy that it requires, I could do it for longer. To me, the magic of my show is that manic energy and unfortunately, that manic, crazy energy I think is what’s killing me at the same time. I have to do everything slow now. I have to move slow; I have to bend slow. I’m still navigating what this is. It’s a very long fricking name, Ankylosing spondylitis. Sounds like supercalifragilistic, but anyways, I don’t know, because there’s flares and then I’m not sure. I’m in the middle of literally dealing with it now. Yesterday’s show, I was like, “I don’t know how I’m gonna do this” and I didn’t.

David Read:
Are you feeling it when you perform?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Actually, while I’m performing, the endorphins are…

David Read:
They take over.

Bonnie Kilroe:
They take over. It’s after the show that you feel it. During the show, the show goes on. I once cut my foot so bad and it’s like, “I don’t give a shit.” You just get your foot in those boots and you get… I’ve got this voice in my head that’s like, “Keep going. Don’t even think about it.”

David Read:
You got drill sergeants.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Anything for the show and my body has paid the price for that. I have sung through shows so sick, which is terrible because you can do permanent damage. I push myself. Everything about my show is extremely physically demanding, but people have such a great time at the end of it, that I have to do it. I love doing it and I wanna do it. I wanna do it for as long as I can. If I can get a handle on what’s happening, then I’ll be able to keep doing it, for sure for five years. It depends on how good I look. It’s a comedy, so I can get away with a lot. I can also judge from how the audience reacts, you know what I mean? I’m glad that I’m not taking myself too seriously, because if you did, then I would not be lasting much longer at all.

David Read:
Life’s too short.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I don’t want an audience feeling sorry for me. That is the last thing you ever, ever want is someone being like, “Oh no. Is she okay? Oh, I’m worried for her.” I never want them to think that. There’s a lot of physical comedy in my show.

David Read:
How long does it take you?

Bonnie Kilroe:
My Tina Turner is insane. Two hours.

David Read:
Two hours? Bonnie.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I don’t know. 15-minute break.

David Read:
How many characters typically?

Bonnie Kilroe:
20 per show, for the Divas show.

David Read:
One song each?

Bonnie Kilroe:
No, not really. I do medleys. I do a thing where I do the Edith Bunker thing, it’s one minute, it’s a six-minute medley and then I do other ones where I’m out for 10 minutes as Cher and seven minutes as Tina and eight minutes as Dolly and two minutes as this person. It depends on the character, sometimes it’s a gimmick. When I come out as Pat Benatar, I have “hit me with your best shot.” I pick up a dart board. I have one of those springy dart boards, those ones that are round and they fold up into five different layers and you just do this and it goes boing and people throw those Velcro balls at me. It’s funny.

David Read:
It’s a schtick.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It’s silly. They’re throwing them, I’m, “Hit me with your be-” and I’m trying to dodge balls. I’ve gotten nailed in the head so many times. Funny things happen. You don’t realize how the show goes until something goes wrong or breaks. I remember one time I was at a celebrity impersonators convention, which was so much fun.

David Read:
That’s a thing?

Bonnie Kilroe:
It is a thing in Florida, in Orlando. So much fun. I’ve met some amazing friends there. I was coming out as Prince, that turns into Austin Powers, and I came out with my hairbrush instead of a microphone. Everyone laughed and it was a mistake. Everyone’s like, “Oh, that’s so funny when you came out with…” and I’m, “I’ve never done that before and that was a total mistake.” I didn’t keep that one, but what I did keep, that I did once, the improv-ing, is after Pat Benatar, I’ll come out as Prince. I decided as I was singing, “Oh, I’m gonna grab two of those balls,” and I put them on my shorts, right there. They stuck there. The two Velcro balls stuck. They’re laughing so hard at that. I was like, “Hi.”… and I’ve got these two Velcro balls. It’s ridiculous. I’ve kept it in, I keep that in now. It was an accident. That’s how a lot of bits are created, by sort of accidents.

David Read:
This is awesome. That’s how you find it. Sometimes it’s a straight line, but often it’s not.

Bonnie Kilroe:
No, you can’t always think, “Oh, this would be a good idea.”

David Read:
You have to feel it.

Bonnie Kilroe:
It only comes to you while you’re out there frying on a pan, like an egg, everyone watching it, like watching this egg fry. Man.

David Read:
DeftReference wanted to know, the folks on set, like Michael Greenburg, he was there every day during photography. Did anyone provide any content for Morrigan that you could chew on besides what was going on with the costume? You all knew that you were there because there was a threat and you were trying to figure out who was responsible. Is there anything else going on that you recall that you were given as notes? Were you all told to be brooding? What was Martin Wood providing?

Bonnie Kilroe:
We were told not to trust anybody and to be protective. They didn’t give us much. My part was so small, but you can still do a lot with a look.

David Read:
That’s what I say.

Bonnie Kilroe:
You know what I mean? If that’s all I was given, then I’m gonna do as much as I can with that, if I don’t have a line. There was another… I don’t remember if they put it… if it got cut or not.

David Read:
The symbiotes.

Bonnie Kilroe:
The symbiotes. That’s right. There was a scene where we were eating them, but they were invisible, of course. So they just told us, “You’re eating these things.” So, I was, “Ah-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom,” kind of thing, but I don’t remember seeing that. Do you?

David Read:
I can show it to you right now, if you wanna see it.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I remember some of them, but I don’t think I was eating a symbiote.

David Read:
That is a really easy thing that I can check right now.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I do remember, because they said, “It’s CGI. There’s gonna be this moving thing.” I was like, “Oh, cool. This is awesome. I get to pretend”

David Read:
That’s what you guys actually are on the inside.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I know. The symbiote, that they manifest.

David Read:
I’m pretty sure you’re in that shot. Let me see here, real quick.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I don’t remember seeing that, but I always thought that would’ve been great.

David Read:
Let’s have a look. There’s Cliff Simon. There’s you. Everyone pull up your sleeves, ’cause it’s about to get gnarly.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Here we go.

David Read:
This was one of the most disturbing sequences from the franchise.

Bonnie Kilroe:
There’s Paul Anthony.

David Read:
Anna Louise Plowman. Woof. Fun times?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Cool.

David Read:
For God’s sakes.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Memories.

David Read:
“What’d you do this weekend?” “I became cannibal.”

Bonnie Kilroe:
Nightmares.

David Read:
Gosh. Let’s have a look here. SaraBeamie. “If the System Lords had won, what do you think an empire ruled by Morrigan would have looked like?” Lot of leather.

Bonnie Kilroe:
A lot of slaves.

David Read:
Some spikes.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Absolutely.

David Read:
Helga’s House of Pain.

Bonnie Kilroe:
That sounds about right.

David Read:
Gosh.

Bonnie Kilroe:
She definitely wouldn’t ever have an equal. She would be the top. She would never have a partner.

David Read:
If you look back at the language of how they’re all interacting with each other in that first scene, Bastet and Kali were obviously allied with each other on some level. Morrigan’s only really talking to her slave, she ain’t got no time for anybody else.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I know.

David Read:
That’s it.

Bonnie Kilroe:
No, she doesn’t work well with others.

David Read:
She’s definitely putting out a statement.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I don’t think that she would ever try to have a relationship with any of them. I think she would just wanna be the top, which is not smart. Like Survivor; you’ve gotta branch off with someone to make it. You can’t really make it on your own.

David Read:
That’s it. She was cunning, because in Season Eight, a few years later, we find out that Bastet and Olokun are dead and that Morrigan has, the word Carter uses is capitulated. Under Ba’al, she’s basically like, “OK, you’ve got this.” As far as we know, she wasn’t wiped out, which I thought was so interesting, because they all don’t just fight to the last man. Some of them are more strategic and are like, “OK, I’m done. I’m out. Go ahead. Just give me a little hill to be king on. I don’t need a lot. I just need my slaves.”

Bonnie Kilroe:
Look, if she hasn’t died, I really would love to audition for that part. I really would. That would really be cool. That’d be really fun to actually have the original actor.

David Read:
We’re having another Stargate show, so who knows?

Bonnie Kilroe:
I know. Exactly.

David Read:
I have been encouraging so many of those folks, even though the shooting is gonna be in the UK, for most of it, it doesn’t mean that just because you played a character in the past doesn’t mean that you can’t play a new one. That’s one of the things that I’m hoping to see, is that we’ll have folks from the past who come in to play something new. A lot of time has passed and there’s a chance to shake things up a little bit. So, I’m hopeful.

Bonnie Kilroe:
When is the release or when is the shooting beginning?

David Read:
This fall.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Wow. That’s amazing.

David Read:
We’re very excited.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I bet. How many episodes have you done? 438?

David Read:
438, I think.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Wow.

David Read:
Yes, 438 total.

Bonnie Kilroe:
That’s amazing.

David Read:
It’s been the love of my midlife. I’m so thankful to folks like you for making it possible. There are so many stories to tell and every face has a story behind it. Especially when I saw yours and I saw this website that was attached to it, it was like, “Oh my God, I’m gonna be best friends with her.” Two hours, 20 people.

Bonnie Kilroe:
What?

David Read:
That’s just an extraordinary program that you do.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I was reacting to two hours, what?

David Read:
Two hours. To sustain that energy!

Bonnie Kilroe:
I know. It is. It’s a bit insane. No, it’s an enormous amount of energy. It’s go, go, go, go, go. It’s fun, though. People love it. Tt’s my mission in life to bring them levity and to feel like we’re all in this together.

David Read:
And we are. Do you have a specific menu that you routinely utilize, or is it always different?

Bonnie Kilroe:
I have tons of menus. No, it’s all over the place. Actually, my goal for next year is to do England and Ireland ’cause I’ve got family there. My husband is from Croatia.

David Read:
Nice.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I wanna do a tour there. I’ve gone to Mexico and Puerto Vallarta because my show is great for gays and seniors. Perfect. Palm Springs, Puerto Vallarta. It’s one of those shows that it’s an amazing crossover audience, really wide demographic, which is great. I wanna keep adding to it.

David Read:
That’s the thing, I’m looking at the different folks that you’ve done and there’s no one who could look at that list and say, “I don’t know who any of those people are.” You gotta recognize somebody or more than one.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I have a few memories. It’s funny, maybe they know who Cher is now, but I think it was maybe eight years ago, I got dressed up as Cher and I walked into this university and there were so many people who were like, “I don’t know who Cher is.” I’m like, “Oh God, they haven’t seen… Mamma Mia hadn’t come out yet, I don’t think. But if I do have a young audience, they do know who Cher is and they know her because of Mamma Mia, believe it or not. They’re like, “Oh my God, that’s the actress from Mamma Mia.” It’s really funny, ’cause I just make that joke and all the boomers laugh ’cause they’re like, “Oh my God.” They think that’s the actress from Mamma Mia, they don’t know that’s frigging Cher, man. She’s turning 80 this month. I actually have a Cher show coming up this weekend on May 9th. I have a solo Cher show where I do like ten costume changes and she’s so much fun; she’s got so much attitude. Halfway through the show, I do a guest appearance and I come out like Sharon Osbourne and I do her and we do a little Cher contest where someone has to wear the wig and run around as Cher on the stage. Anyway, ’cause Sharon Osbourne is such a flip from Cher, because Cher, she hardly ever smiles and everything she does is with minimal energy, really. Sharon Osbourne is the total opposite. I love doing opposites.

David Read:
You’re flipping the switch. That’s exactly right.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Surprise people.

David Read:
Jakub wanted to know “Have you heard about the upcoming Stargate cruise?”

Bonnie Kilroe:
No. Wait, did you mention that to me in an email? No, I haven’t.

David Read:
I may have.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Or maybe I saw that online.

David Read:
It’s porting out of, is it Miami, Jake? I forget where it is. It’s definitely out of Florida and it’s going to be in January.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Cape Canaveral?

David Read:
Is it Cape? Not entirely sure.

Bonnie Kilroe:
In January. I’ll get a hold of them ’cause I worked on cruise ships for 10 years. They might go, “Oh, hey, she’s a star,” ’cause then they can sort of fill a few boxes. They can have the show, actually they could do two shows, and then they can do, I don’t know, dress up like Morrigan.

David Read:
It’s worth an email. It’s exactly right. I chase all the leads.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I chase all the leads. I chase them all.

David Read:
There ain’t nothing wrong with that.

Bonnie Kilroe:
‘Cause you never know. You never know.

David Read:
You never know. The worst thing is never asking and never trying. Absolutely.

Bonnie Kilroe:
That’s something.

David Read:
This has been such a treat, Bonnie. Thank you so much for sharing so much of yourself this episode.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Thank you.

David Read:
This has been really cool. Anyone who is in the Vancouver area, if you have a video background, and already in the link below, I’ve already added Bonnie’s website, celebrity-imposters.com.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Thank you.

David Read:
You’re definitely gonna have a good time, one way or the other.

Bonnie Kilroe:
They will.

David Read:
Going and coming and checking this thing out.

Bonnie Kilroe:
I can do all the editing if you don’t wanna edit.

David Read:
Absolutely. All right. Anything else before we let you go?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Thank you, David.

David Read:
Anything you wanna let everyone know?

Bonnie Kilroe:
Anytime you want one of the characters I do on the show, you let me know, and I’ll show up in my show face.

David Read:
You may have to. OK. As the show gets closer, we’re gonna be reaching out to a broader swath of the cast and crew and I’d love to pick one or two to bring on and interview. I think that would be fun. I’ve already reached out to Paul Anthony.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Great.

David Read:
Yes. Would love to have him on as well.

Bonnie Kilroe:
He’s a great character.

David Read:
Thank you so much for that.

Bonnie Kilroe:
He’s got a lot to offer. He’s got a history. He’s done a lot as well.

David Read:
You’ve been a pleasure.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Thank you, David.

David Read:
Thank you for spending time with us today.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Thanks everyone for watching and let me know if anyone wants to meet me on May 7th at the $10,000 a month seniors’ home in West Vancouver.

David Read:
Bonnie, thank you. I’m gonna wrap up the show on this side.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Thanks, David. Bye-bye.

David Read:
You take care of yourself.

Bonnie Kilroe:
You too.

David Read:
Bye-bye.

Bonnie Kilroe:
Bye.

David Read:
That is Bonnie Kilroe, Morrigan in Stargate SG-1. My name is David Read, you’re watching the Stargate Oral History Project. If you enjoy the show and you wanna see more content like this on YouTube, do me a favor and click that Like button. It does make a difference with the show and will continue to help us grow our audience. If you’ve got Stargate friends out there, send the show to a Stargate friend and they’ll appreciate seeing it. If you wanna get notified about future episodes, click Subscribe and click the Bell icon. We are a live show on the Dial the Gate and GateWorld.net YouTube channels. My tremendous thanks to my fellow Patreons who are making this show possible. I could not do this without you guys and I’m so thankful to everyone who participates and makes this show what it is. I’m really, really blessed. My name is David Read for Dial the Gate. I appreciate you tuning in. My thanks to my moderators, Antony, Jakub, Marcia, Raj; you guys help me pull this thing off week after week. There’s no way that I can do this in a bottle. Thanks so much for tuning in. I appreciate it and I’ll see you guys on the other side.