The Bunker 12 October – 5 November.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Brand new venue The Bunker opens its first season with Isley Lynn’s award winning Skin A Cat. Based on Lynn’s own sexual experiences, this funny and heart-warming play takes a candid look at the life of Alana (Lydia Larson) and her quest to lose her virginity.

Beginning with her first period at nine, Alana relates her early experiences with boyfriends and her decision to lose her virginity on prom night – “We wanted it to be… American!” Lots of fumbling and awkward encounters follow until Alana finds ways to enjoy sex other than actual penetration. She finally seeks medical advice and is diagnosed with Vaginismus – a psycho-sexual condition where her muscles spasm painfully and prevent penetration. But Alana still can’t talk about her problem, instead only apologising to her partners, blaming herself and abstaining from sex. This all changes when she meets Geri, an older man who annoys her so much that she blurts out the truth. They start a relationship and his spiritual outlook enables Alana to relax and, finally, lose her virginity.

Lydia Larson is natural and fearless as Alana – equally convincing as a nine-year-old, teenager and adult. Her nuanced body language and fine comedy timing are fantastic to watch in a fine performance that carries the narrative seamlessly. Jessica Clark plays the women in Alana’s story with energy and a fine ear for accents. Her portrayal of Alana’s mother and her hysterically inept explanations of menstruation were reminiscent of Victoria Wood at her best. The male characters are played by Jassa Ahluwalia, boyish and innocent as Alana’s early boyfriends (with brilliant deadpan delivery of overly polite text messages and email breakups) and measured and mature as Geri.

Although the set is basically a bed, the play a conveyor belt of sex scenes and the writing is full of jokes about bums, flaps and willies, this isn’t a sexy show. Larson spends the night in flesh coloured support underwear and pop socks, and when Ahluwalia takes off his dungarees, he is wearing long johns. There is no titillation at all – the sex is stylised and funny, making Alana’s pain and seizures even more shocking and creating a roller coaster of emotions as the play veers from fantastic physical comedy to heart-breaking despair without warning.

Blythe Stewart’s able and sympathetic direction enables Lynn’s story to shine. The play delivers its message about there being many different ways to enjoy sex apart from what society tells us is “normal” without getting too tub thumping, and Alana’s final realisation that she has actually been happy as she is all along is written and performed with touching simplicity.

Skin A Cat is a great play – sweet, filthy, thought-provoking and very, very funny. This is a very promising start at this exciting new venue. Go and see this play – and take your teenage sons and daughters along – this is the sort of sex education they should be getting in school.

Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre 12 – 30 October.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

All Star Productions’ Wonderful Town is one of those shows where everyone leaves with a big soppy smile on their faces.

This chamber production hits all the right notes and, under Tim McArthur’s inspired direction, celebrates the fact that this is an extremely corny and frankly bonkers story, and very much of its time.

Sisters Ruth and Eileen Sherwood arrive in New York from Ohio with ambitions to be a writer and actress. They rent an apartment in Greenwich Village and soon all the local men are falling for Eileen, whilst Ruth meets newspaper man Bob Baker, but just can’t stop herself from saying all of the wrong things. An array of bizarre neighbourhood caricatures complicate matters but the girls end up with the right guys in the finale. Ben Hathaway’s simple set design – all newspaper print and McArthur’s favourite hanging frames adds to the cartoon feel of the show and McArthur has created a slightly edgy but very nostalgic production that delivers all you could wish for.

With music by Leonard Bernstein, you’re on to a winner, and musical director Aaron Clingham is obviously having the time of his life on the piano playing (expertly) some of Bernstein’s more light-hearted tunes. Choreographer Ian Pyle has done a superb job, with the talented dancers doing things that shouldn’t be possible in this tiny space. Swing is a wonderful routine, with shades of the Jets and the Sharks having a party instead of a rumble. The rhythms created by the piano and the dancers’ bodies and voices are breath-taking. Give that man an Offie.

Some of the musical numbers’ lyrics don’t showcase Comden and Green at their best, but One Hundred Easy Ways To Lose A Man is the song you’ll recognise from this show, performed by the fabulous Lizzie Wofford as Ruth – making the most of a rare leading role for the lower register. Wofford and Francesca Benton-Stace, as Eileen, are an enchanting double act – playing their roles with knowing humour and plenty of gusto. Aneurin Pascoe is charming as Baker, with a beautifully judged and delivered rendition of A Quiet Girl being his standout moment. Hugo Joss Caton as Frank is delightfully clumsy and sweet, and Simon Burr and Francesca Pim are a hoot as footballer Wreck and his fiancée Helen.

The entire cast give energetic and funny performances, with pastiche Greek, New “Yoik” and Irish accents aplenty. The Irish policemen are hysterical in the scene where they serenade Eileen after arresting her, with Jon R Harrison seemingly modelling his character on Rory Brown – brilliant!

I can understand why Wonderful Town isn’t revived very often, as its plot and lyrics haven’t aged well. But when it is given the Tim McArthur treatment and performed with such joy, the show is simply fantastic.

Go on, take a selfie as you leave the theatre – Wonderful Town will turn you into a grinning loon.

Matthew Byam Shaw, Nia Janis and Nick Salmon for Playful Productions,
Tom Kirdahy and Hunter Arnold present
Damian Lewis in
Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?
Directed by Ian Rickson

• Damian Lewis returns to the London stage to appear in Albee’s black comedy about a family in crisis

• Ian Rickson directs Albee’s TONY® Award Winning play at the Theatre Royal Haymarket with a first preview on 24th March 2017 and opening night on 5th April 2017

• Tickets are now on sale for this strictly limited 12 week season fromwww.TheGoatPlay.com

Ian Rickson will direct Damian Lewis in a new production of Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? which will open at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 24th March 2017 with an official opening night on 5th April 2017.

A darkly comic and disturbing view on the collapse of familial relationships, Edward Albee’s The Goat has all of Albee’s characteristically witty tones as well as being a deeply tragic portrayal of a couple and their teenage son in crisis when the father embarks on an improbable and impossible love affair from which there is no return. Widely regarded as his late masterpiece, Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia is brought back to the London stage following Albee’s recent death.

Damian Lewis was last seen on the London stage in a production of David Mamet’sAmerican Buffalo, he now returns to play Albee’s central character Martin. Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning Lewis is best known for his roles on screen in Homeland andWolf Hall and most recently Billions. He has also regularly returned to the stage performing at the National Theatre and the Almeida as well as in the West End.

Ian Rickson is a prolific and multi award-winning director whose recent work includesEvening At The Talk House and The Red Lion at the National Theatre, Jerusalem, Mojo,Old Times and Betrayal in the West End and Hamlet at The Young Vic.

EDWARD ALBEE was born on 12th March 1928 and began writing plays 30 years later. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The Death of Bessie Smith (1959), The Sandbox(1959), The American Dream (1960), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), Tiny Alice (1964), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize; 1996, Tony Award),All Over (1971), Seascape (1974, Pulitzer Prize), Listening (1975), Counting the Ways(1975), The Lady from Dubuque (1977-78), The Man Who Had Three Arms (1981), Finding the Sun (1982), Marriage Play (1986-87), Three Tall Women (1991, Pulitzer Prize),Fragments (1993), The Play about the Baby (1997), The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (2000, 2002 Tony Award), Occupant (2001), At Home at the Zoo: Act 1, Homelife. Act 2, The Zoo Story. (2004), and Me, Myself & I (2008). Mr. Albee was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980.  In 1996 he received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.  In 2005 he was awarded a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.

DAMIAN LEWIS OBE won unanimous international acclaim for his role in Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning drama Homeland. Lewis starred as ‘Sergeant Nicholas Brody’ opposite Claire Danes and was awarded the 2013 Golden Globe for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series’ and a 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series’ among other accolades for his role. Most recently Lewis can be seen starring in the Showtime series Billions opposite Paul Giamatti. With an expansive list of diverse film, theatre and television credits Damian Lewis has evolved into one of this generation’s most respected and sought-after actors.

Prior to his role in Homeland, Lewis first came to the attention of international audiences in 2001 with his Golden Globe-nominated performance in the award-winning HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Tom Hanks. He also starred as Soames Forsyte in the acclaimed British production of The Forsyte Sagaand Charlie Crews in Life. In 2015 Lewis starred as Henry VIII in Wolf Hall opposite Mark Rylance in the BBC Two television miniseries adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Booker-Prize winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

Prior to American Buffalo in 2015, Lewis starred as Alceste in Martin Crimp’s 2009 adaptation of The Misanthrope opposite Keira Knightley. After training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Lewis joined the British theatre community and appeared in a number of plays between 1993-98, primarily as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. During that time, he starred as Laertes in Jonathan Kent’s Broadway production of Hamlet opposite Ralph Fiennes. In 2003, Lewis returned to the London stage opposite Helen McCrory in Five Gold Rings at the Almeida Theatre. In 2005 he starred in the National Theatre’s production of Ibsen’s Pillars of the Community.

In addition to his illustrious work on stage, Lewis has appeared on film in Julian Fellowes’ adaptation of Romeo and Juliet which starred Douglas Booth and Hailee Steinfeld in the titular roles, The Sweeney, David Gordon Green’s Your Highness, and Werner Herzog’sQueen of the Desert opposite Nicole Kidman.

IAN RICKSON was the artistic director of the Royal Court from 1998 to 2006, where he directed Jerusalem (also West End at the Apollo Theatre), The Winterling, The Night Heron and Mojo (also Chicago), all by Jez Butterworth; Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen and This is a Chair by Caryl Churchill; Dublin Carol and The Weir by Conor McPherson (also Dublin, Chicago, West End and Broadway); The Seagull by Anton Chekhov (also Broadway); Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett; Alice Trilogy by Tom Murphy; The Sweetest Swing in Baseball by Rebecca Gilman; Fallout by Roy Williams; The Day I Stood Still by Kevin Elyot; The Lights by Howard Korder; Pale Horse and Some Voices by Joe Penhall; Ashes and Sand by Judy Upton; Killers by Adam Pernak; Sab by Michael Cook andWildfire by Jonathan Harvey.

In the West End Rickson directed Kristin Scott Thomas, Rufus Sewell and Lia Williams inOld Times (Harold Pinter Theatre); Betrayal, also with Kristin Scott Thomas, and Keira Knightley and Elizabeth Moss in The Children’s Hour (both Comedy Theatre); and at the National Theatre, Evening Talk at the Talk House by Wallace Shawn and The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Productions at the Young Vic include Hamlet starring Michael Sheen, Now We Are Here and in autumn 2016 Rickson will direct The Nest.

Work on screen includes Fallout (Company Pictures for Channel 4) and Krapp’s Last Tapeby Samuel Beckett (BBC4) and on radio includes In Therapy with Susie Orbach (BBC Radio 4). Rickson also works with PJ Harvey and Kate Tempest on their music and poetry shows.

REVIEW: FOOTLOOSE (Sunderland Empire) ★★★★

October 14, 2016 

For: West End Wilma 

https://www.westendwilma.com/review-footloose-sunderland-empire/

Footloose tells the story of Ren McCormack, who leaves Chicago with his newly separated mother to move in with his uncle in Bomont, West Virginia. Ren clashes with the locals, especially Rev Moore, who oversees the town council. Following a fatal accident, dancing is banned in Bomont, but Ren takes his friends, including Rev Moore’s daughter Ariel, to a dance hall out of town, and they decide to hold a dance of their own. They need the council’s permission though, and Ren must try to find common ground with Rev Moore.

Originally a 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, Footloose was one of a clutch of coming-of-age films such as Flashdance, Dirty Dancing and, earlier, Grease where teenagers fought against the small-minded oppression of the adults that surrounded them through the power of dance. First adapted for the Broadway stage in 1998, it doesn’t have the romantic power of Dirty Dancing, nor the unadulterated nostalgia of Grease but what it lacks in story, it makes up for in energy and passion.

This production has a real star in Luke Baker who is an outstanding dancer but also portrays Ren as the epitome of cool. Ren’s dancing helps him let off steam and Baker’s skills, not to mention the choreography by Matthew Cole, make the dancing in Footloose its most dynamic storytelling agent. Baker and Hannah Price who plays Ariel Moore make engaging leads and carry the audience along on a tide of passion. As well as teenage angst, Footloose, is all about fun and the carefree nature of being a teen, which of course is never fully appreciated at the time. As the comedy lead Willard, Gareth Gates gives a good performance, he has great comic timing and charm.

In the pivotal role of Rev. Moore, David J Higgins showed his acting range and sang so well on his solo “Heaven Help Me.” As his wife Vi, the wonderful Maureen Nolan worked her stage magic. Other cast members included Nicky Swift as Ren’s mum, Ethel McCormack; Alex Marshall as Ren’s Uncle, Wes Warnicker; Ariel’s friends Miracle Chance as Urleen, Natasha Brown as Wendy-Jo and Willard’s love interest the amazing Joanna Sawyer as Rusty.

Music is fundamental to Footloose, so restructuring the story into a musical should be a sure-fire win. The music in the show is loud, for sure, with a beat designed to set toes tapping and fingers snapping. The score is peppered with flashy dance tunes from the movie that have boomed over disco floors for years. And there’s a young, eager, hard-working cast of dancers, somersaulting, back-flipping, wriggling to the beat of the band. Certainly, director Racky Plews’ production cleverly uses its ‘80s soundtrack: every actor is also a skilled musician and the core band remain on-stage at all time.

I have seen Footloose in other venues on this tour and whilst before there was an element of something missing, this show in Sunderland had everything I wanted to see. Technically excellent, vocally brilliant and full of energy and fun. So kick off your Sunday shoes and just cut loose for Footloose.

York Theatre Royal – 12 to 15 October 2016.  Reviewed By Marcus Richardson

When Football meets Theatre, it can be an amazing success like Bend it Like Beckham: the Musical; this show however neither wowed me or made me hate it.

The play set in Gateshead follows two young lads, who have a passion for football and will do anything to get season tickets to see Newcastle United. The play shows a working class family who are in protective care from an abusive father and husband.

For me the most impressive this was the set, it was amazing how it showed the steel city vibe, the the use of girders and estate like flats, just blew me away when I walked into the theatre, the certain walls would ride up and review a house, this gave a great sense of setting without having to change the whole entire set itself, the football commentator that was done over the speakers made for great use of the passage of time and also kept the audience of the struggle of the two lads.

The acting was pretty good on most part, the only thing that let it down for me is that Gerry (Niek Vergsteeg) the main character was hard to understand as he was doing a geordie accent that was hard to hear and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what he was saying, that said his physicality was amazing and I couldn’t falter.

The actor who stood out for me was Victoria Elliot who played the mother Dee she was equally funny and serious, she had so much stage presence and made for some scenes to be very impacting and other very funny with her pineapple jokes. I also loved Will Graham who played the best friend Sewell, and Kevin Wathen who played Dan, Dees new partner. Some of the multi role was hard to understand as two of the character were very similar and I had trouble telling the two apart.

It seemed very strange to have such a football heavy and urban place in a city like York and it seems that it would be suit to other cities like Manchester and Sheffield which have a football history and following. The themes of the play didn’t appeal to me because I’m not too fond of football and it didn’t draw my interests in.

The play premiered in Newcastle with the Northern Stage group, it will also be at York Theatre Royal until the 15th October and it will go to Winchester from the 20th to the 22 of October and make its last stop at Dundee where it will open 25th and close 27th October.

• NEW IMPROBABLE SHOW – LOST WITHOUT WORDS – ANNOUNCED IN 2017 NATIONAL THEATRE SEASON

• IMPRO FOR ELDERS IMPROVISATION WORKSHOPS FOR THE OVER 60S AT THE COCKPIT THEATRE IN DOUBLE BILL WITH LIFEGAME

• DEVOTED & DISGRUNTLED 12 TO TAKE PLACE IN BRISTOL, JANUARY 2017

Improbable today announces three new projects: a theatrical show – Lost Without Words; a participation project – Impro For Elders; and a move to Bristol for Devoted and Disgruntled 12.

LOST WITHOUT WORDS – Dorfman Theatre, 4 – 18 March 2017

A co-production between Improbable and the National Theatre.

Improbable’s directors Lee and Phelim have been improvising on stage all their adult lives.  Then one day they had a fantasy: what would happen if they took older actors in their 70s and 80s, actors who had spent their lives on stage bringing life to a writer’s words, actors who – now they are old – appear in our theatres less and less; what would happen if they put those actors on stage without a script? What scenes would they create? What stories would they unfold? What might they tell us about what awaits us all at the other end of life?

We are about to find out. Lost Without Words – a theatrical experiment.

Improbable’s Artistic Directors Phelim McDermott and Lee Simpson will co-direct with Colin Grenfell as Lighting Designer and music by Steven Edis.

IMPRO FOR ELDERS & LIFEGAME – Cockpit Theatre, 30 November & 1 December 2016

IMPRO FOR ELDERS: The wisdom of making it up as you go along.
Improbable will be working with a group of older people local to Church Street, Westminster, to create a brand new performance. This show will be presented in a double bill with Improbable’sLifegame.

Keith Johnstone’s LIFEGAME: Part chat show, part impro show.
Improbable have been performing Lifegame around the world since 1998.  A member of the public is interviewed on stage about their life. The stories they tell are dramatized by a company of improvisers. A different guest every show, a different show every night. Instantaneous theatrical biography. In this special version of Lifegame, a member of the Impro For Elders group (also a resident of the Church Street area) will be the guest. What are the stories that only a Church Street local could tell? Join us to find out.

DEVOTED & DISGRUNTLED 12 – Passenger Shed at Brunel’s Old Station, Bristol 14 – 16 January 2017

Improbable’s 12th annual Devoted & Disgruntled event gets under way in January 2017, in partnership with Theatre Bristol.

At a time of economic and social uncertainty, it’s more important than ever for the UK’s theatre and arts community to unite around the issues that really matter, share concerns, and work together to strengthen the creative community. D&D is an opportunity for arts people at every point in their careers, from audiences to artists, CEOs to FOH staff, grassroots groups to seasoned professionals, to come together and focus on the question WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THEATRE AND THE PERFORMING ARTS?

The biggest ever D&D – For its 12th annual event, Devoted & Disgruntled heads to the magnificent Passenger Shed at Bristol Temple Meads, providing space for more people than ever before to come together and get to grips with the issues that really matter to the UK arts community.

Why Bristol? – 2015’s event in Birmingham – the first annual D&D outside London – was a sell-out success, with 300 people generating almost 100 reports over the weekend. Bristol, as a creative hub with a thriving theatre community and an embedded Open Space practice, seemed the natural next location for this national event. D&D 12 is being hosted in partnership with Theatre Bristol, the city’s unique network of theatre producers and organisations, and is also supported by Tobacco Factory Theatres.

IT’S BACK IN THE WEST END AND SEXIER THAN EVER!

DIRTY DANCING – THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE

RETURNS TO LONDON THIS CHRISTMAS

FOR THIRTY PERFORMANCES ONLY

 

OPENING AT THE PHOENIX THEATRE

6 – 31 DECEMBER

 

Producers Karl Sydow and Paul Elliott are delighted to announce that the new UK production of Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, currently wowing audiences around the country on its UK tour, will play a season in the West End this Christmas, mambo-ing into the Phoenix Theatre for thirty performances only from 6 – 31 December 2016.

 

Starring Lewis Griffiths as ‘Johnny Castle’, Katie Hartland as ‘Baby Houseman’ and Carlie Milner as ‘Penny Johnson’, the UK tour has taken over £5.5million pounds since it hit the road in August.

The classic story of Baby and Johnny, featuring the hit songs ‘Hungry Eyes’, ‘Hey! Baby’, ‘Do You Love Me?’ and the heart stopping ‘(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life’, returns to the UK, following two blockbuster West End runs, two hit UK tours, and various sensational international productions.

 

Full of passion and romance, heart-pounding music and sensationally sexy dancing, the record-breaking show has been reconceived in an all new production created by an innovative new creative team; directed by Federico Bellone, choreographed by Gillian Bruce and with design re-imagined by top Italian set designer Roberto Comotti. The production premiered in Milan in July 2015, subsequently packing out the 15,000 seat Roman Arena in Verona, and then played a season in Rome.

 

Lewis Griffiths has had a prolific career in musical theatre, most recently starring as ‘Nick Massi’ on the UK tour of Jersey Boys. Other roles in UK tours include Ghost and Legally Blonde, and West End credits include Priscilla Queen of the Desert,Rent and Whistle Down the Wind.

 

Katie Hartland has made her professional musical theatre debut carrying the watermelons as she takes on the role of ‘Baby Houseman’, having graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2015.

 

Carlie Milner is part of the Dirty Dancing family; starting as a member of the ensemble in 2014, she covered and subsequently took over the role of ‘Penny’ in 2015.

 

The rest of the company are: Simone Craddock as ‘Marjorie Houseman’, Roger Martin ‘as Max Kellerman’, Jo Servi as ‘Tito Suarez’, Lizzie Ottley as ‘Lisa Houseman’, Michael Kent as ‘Billy Kostecki’, Greg Fossard as ‘Neil Kellerman’, Tony Stansfieldas ‘Mr Schumacher’, and Daniela Pobega as ‘Elizabeth’, and Camilla Rowland as ‘Vivian’. Also joining the company areGabby Antrobus, Simon Campbell, Robert Colvin, Michael Cookson,  Katie Eccles, Beth Highsted, Matthew James Hinchliff, Samuel John Humphreys, Megan Louch, Ashley Rumble, Callum Sterling, Austin Wilks and Karl James Wilson, who is the Alternate ‘Johnny Castle’.

 

It’s the summer of 1963, and 17 year- old Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman is about to learn some major lessons in life as well as a thing or two about dancing. On holiday in New York’s Catskill Mountains with her older sister and parents, she shows little interest in the resort activities, and instead discovers her own entertainment when she stumbles across an all-night dance party at the staff quarters. Mesmerised by the raunchy dance moves and the pounding rhythms, Baby can’t wait to be part of the scene, especially when she catches sight of Johnny Castle the resort dance instructor. Her life is about to change forever as she is thrown in at the deep end as Johnny’s leading lady both on-stage and off, and two fiercely independent young spirits from different worlds come together in what will be the most challenging and triumphant summer of their lives.

 

Full tour dates at www.dirtydancingontour.com

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

VENUE: PHOENIX THEATRE, CHARING CROSS ROAD, LONDON, WC2H 0JP

DATES: Tuesday 6 – Saturday 31 December 2016

GENERAL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: Tuesday – Thursday @ 7.30pm, Friday 5.30pm & 8.30pm, Saturday 2.30pm & 7.30pm (no show on Saturday 24 December)

CHRISTMAS & NYE SCHEDULE: Monday 26 December 7.30pm, Friday 30 December 5.30 & 8.30pm, Saturday 31 December 3.00pm

TICKETS £15 – £67.50 (£95 premiums)

BOOKING: 0844 871 7629 / www.atgtickets.com/phoenix

Undress Rehearsal

It’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it…Vicky Edwards gets hot and bothered as she sits in on rehearsals for the brand new tour of The Full Monty

As I enter the building in North London that is housing rehearsals for The Full Monty I swear I can smell the testosterone from the bottom of three flights of stairs. Making my way to the top floor I enter an almost exclusively man’s world, where I am promptly (and warmly) greeted by some of our best and buffest actors. Accompanied to a seat by ex-EastEnders hottie Jack Ryder – who it transpires is also an accomplished director – I happily acknowledge that, as Monday mornings go, this middle-aged woman has had far, far worse.

But all joking (and drooling) aside, the stage version of The Full Monty is a joy. Adapted from his own smash-hit movie, writer Simon Beaufoy (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Salmon Fishing in Yemen, 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire) has somehow managed to retain all the warmth and charm of the film, while overcoming the obvious setting difficulties that the stage production throws up. Already sold out at several dates, some venues have added in additional performances to keep pace with demand.

“We sold out the last time we toured the show and it looks like we’re going to do the same again,” says Gary Lucy (EastEnders, The Bill, Footballers’ Wives and She’s Gone), still managing to look gorgeous while shovelling down lunchtime chicken and spuds in the canteen.

And having done four previous tours of the show (bagging the UK Theatre Award for Best Touring Production along the way), Gary knows what to expect.

“The audiences love it because it’s got a bit of everything; laughs, a few tears and of course the story of the journey these guys go on. At the end, even the guys who have been dragged along to see it by their wives or girlfriends are on their feet. It’s testimony to Simon’s brilliant writing.”

The story of six out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers who, with nothing left to lose but face, decide to put on a male strip show, the movie became one of the most successful British films ever made. Sadly, parts of the story still resonate today.

“Just look at the recent news of companies like BHS,” observes Andrew Dunn, who plays Gerald.

Far dishier in the flesh than he is as Tony in Dinnerladies, Andrew is sitting with the play’s other ‘more mature’ gent; Louis Emerick who plays ‘Horse.’

“Audiences leave the theatre happy and smiling, which is bizarre given the subject matter, but Simon has created something very joyful. It’s great to hear how much they have enjoyed themselves,” Louis tells me, tactfully ignoring my look of gormless adoration (be still my beating heart – it might be fifteen years since he last appeared as Brookside hunk Mick Johnson, but he’s still just as fit!).

All agreeing that the combination of gallows humour, pathos and camaraderie gives the play broad appeal, ‘the boys’ also reckon that, although it is predominately women who book the tickets, this is actually very much a man’s show.

“A lot of the themes are very relevant to men,” points out Anthony Lewis (playing ‘Lomper’ and most recently on our screens as Marc Reynolds in Emmerdale). “Body weight issues, blokes toying with their sexuality, suicide, the lengths people will go to for their kids – it’s all in there.”

Playing Guy, Chris Fountain (formerly Justin Burton in Hollyoaks and Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street) chips in: “As soon as I got the part I watched the film again and I was reminded just how good it is.”

Pushing his knife and fork together he grins and adds: “I’m also a Yorkshireman myself so it’s nice to be able to talk in my own accent!”

Best known for his portrayals of Rhys in Torchwood and as Pete in Hollyoaks, Kai Owen who plays Dave says that anyone hoping that the play is faithful to the film can rest assured.

“This really is the film on stage. It’s got all the laughs and all the emotions. You feel for the characters as you tell their stories, but these boys are down to earth and have that fantastic laugh-in-the-face-of-adversity Northern humour. They are absolutely skint and they’re losing their jobs and their self-esteem, yet there is still massive warmth; they’re still having a laugh and dreaming up schemes, and they are there for each other.”

Ah, but as actors are they all there for each other when it comes to the bit in rehearsals when they have to get their kit off for the first time? Andrew recalls the moment on the previous tour with a broad smile.

“Finally the day came and we tipped everyone out of the rehearsal room, covered the windows and locked the door. But after that it was fine. You just get on with it. There’s a lot more to the show than stripping.”

As for life on tour, the boys are all upbeat. Being away from family might make them heart sore, but they relish the opportunities for sightseeing and getting to know the towns and cities they visit.

“I walk for Britain and Louis sleeps for Britain,” laughs Andrew, “but we do all get out and about to explore.”

The tour, which runs until April 2017, includes dates at some of the country’s finest theatres, including the Grand in Leeds. One member of the cast who is particularly chuffed about this date is Anthony.

“I filmed Emmerdale close by so I have lots of friends there and I’m also a massive Leeds supporter, so I’m very happy to see the Grand Theatre on the schedule,” he says, a broad beam spreading across his handsome face.

It has been a fascinating morning but, alas, it’s time for me to bid these lovely lads farewell.

Out in the much-needed fresh air it occurs to me that The Full Monty isn’t exclusively a man’s or a woman’s play. Touching, inspiring and resonating with anyone whose self-esteem has ever taken a walloping, it is simply the perfect prescription for anyone who wants to leave the theatre with their heart warmed, their joy unleashed and their faith in humanity restored. That the leading actors just happen to be drop-dead gorgeous sweethearts is just a happy bonus…

THE FULL MONTY IN LEEDS THIS AUTUMN

STARRING GARY LUCY, ANTHONY LEWIS, ANDREW DUNN, LOUIS EMERICK,

CHRIS FOUNTAIN AND KAI OWEN

Simon Beaufoy’s THE FULL MONTY, which won the UK Theatre Award for Best Touring Production, comes to Leeds Grand Theatre from November 28th to December 3rd.

The cast will be led by Gary Lucy (Danny Pennant in EastEnders, DS Will Fletcher in The Bill, Kyle Pascoe in Footballer’s Wives, Luke Morgan in Hollyoaks, winner of Dancing on Ice) as Gaz, along with Anthony Lewis (Emmerdale, The Syndicate) as Lomper, Andrew Dunn (best known as Tony in Dinnerladies and for his regular appearances playing Alastair Campbell on Bremner, Bird and Fortune) as Gerald, Louis Emerick (Mick Johnson in Brookside and PC Walsh in Last of the Summer Wine) as Horse, Chris Fountain (best known for his roles as Justin Burton in Hollyoaks and Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street, runner-up of Dancing on Ice) as Guy and Kai Owen (best known for his portrayal of Rhys in Torchwood and recently played Pete in Hollyoaks) as Dave.

In 1997, a British film about six out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers with nothing to lose, took the world by storm becoming one of the most successful British films ever made. The story still resonates today, probably more so now than ever.

Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar- and BAFTA-winning writer of the film, has adapted his own screenplay for this hilarious and heartfelt stage production, which features the iconic songs from the film by Donna Summer, Hot Chocolate and Tom Jones.

The Full Monty is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 28th November to Saturday 3rd December

Tickets are on sale now priced from £11 to £35.50

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call box office on 0844 848 2700

What are you most looking forward to about being in Million Dollar Quartet?

I’m looking to the music. I’m looking forward to the character, playing Sam Phillips. It’s quite dialogue-heavy and story-driven, so it’s quite a challenge for my memory. But I’m looking forward to telling a story and playing something different than what I’ve done in the past.

What’s your favourite thing about performing on stage?

The audience, always the audience. And the fact that you never quite know how a performance is going to go and each performance is different – it’s the chemistry between the actors. It’s exciting. It gets your adrenaline going.

What do you think the biggest challenge will be?

Well definitely being on top of the words and the dialogue and the character each night, because it’s meaty in its dialogue and I’m really the driving force of the story. That requires a lot of concentration!

What have you/will you be doing to get into character?

Spending many hours on my own, wandering around the streets of London, learning lines. And, you know, looking up clips of Sam Phillips and just getting a sense of the person, working on the American accent, and just finding within the dialogue the character.

What 3 words would you use to describe Sam Phillips?

Smart, passionate, and he’s someone who’s willing to accept and look at the bigger picture

The show is all about four rock n roll icons – what’s your favourite song in the show?

I Walk The Line – Johnny Cash’s classic.

What else can audiences look forward to about the show?

I just think it’s going to be a great piece of entertainment. I think for those people who don’t know that era in music, it’s very uplifting. The 50’s were a massive change in America and throughout the world, and I think I’m just looking forward to the interaction with the songs and the story.