The Shout!The New Swinging 60's Musical cast open tomorrow night for the penultimate week of the Spring/Summer 2008 tour. See below for the Autumn dates.

Theatre Royal, Theatre Square, Nottingham NG1 5ND
Telephone (Enquiries): 0115 989 5500 
Telephone (Book Tickets): 0115 989 5555 
www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.uk/

The remaining dates of the Spring/Summer leg of the Shout! tour are:

Monday 30th June - Saturday 5th July: Nottingham Theatre Royal 
0115 989 5555 www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.uk 
Monday 7th - Saturday 12th July: Brighton Theatre Royal 
08700 606 650 www.theambassadors.com/theatreroyal 

Getting into the Swing of Things 

The title of this new musical takes its name from the Tony Hatch- penned song made a huge hit by Lulu. 

Shout! The New Swinging Sixties Musical: Bristol Hippodrome 

The slight story follows the lives of three northern girls who come to London at the start of the Swinging Sixties but the emphasis is very much on the music. 

You might expect a show which recalls the songs and events of this period to have a limited appeal to anyone under middle age. 

The teenagers in the audience however, seemed to enjoy this energetic production, which moved along at a sharp pace under the guidance of director/choreographer Bill Deamer, as much as the older fans. 

Even so, some references like the suave man swinging down from the stage to present a lady in the front row with a box of Milk Tray chocolates still needed to be explained to them. 

Claire Sweeney and Su Pollard, both of whom made their names on TV but in very different shows, headed the hard working seven- strong cast. 

Despite the emphasis being on the music, Pollard managed to more than hold her own, taking advantage of the many comic opportunities on offer. 

Howard Jones provided many more laughs as the ever-present 60s DJ introducing each new year. 

Whether you're looking for nostalgia or just a fun-filled evening of tuneful songs, this show, which had the audience on its feet for the finale, delivers the goods. 

Bristol Hippodrome, St Augustines Parade, Bristol. BS1 4UZ
Telephone (Enquiries): 0117 302 3333
Book Tickets (Live Card - 24 hrs): 0871 230 9880 
Book Tickets (Ticketmaster - 24 hrs): 0844 847 2325 
www.bristolhippodrome.org.uk/

The remaining dates of the Spring/Summer leg of the Shout! tour are:

Monday 23rd - Saturday 28th June: Bristol Hippodrome
0870 607 7500 www.bristolhippodrome.org.uk 
Monday 30th June - Saturday 5th July: Nottingham Theatre Royal 
0115 989 5555 www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.uk 
Monday 7th - Saturday 12th July: Brighton Theatre Royal 
08700 606 650 www.theambassadors.com/theatreroyal 

We will bring together all things Shout!, including pictures, reviews, quotes from Su and other cast members, and much more.

Shout! has been a huge success and further tour dates are being added. We will bring these to you as soon as possible.

Everyman Theatre, Regent Street, Cheltenham. GL50 1HQ
Box Office: 01242 572573
Stage Door: 01242 512515
www.everymantheatre.org.uk

Please see below for another fantastic review from 'What's On South West'..

Hall for Cornwall, Back Quay, Truro, TR1 2LL
Box Office Telephone: 01872 262466
Enquiries Telephone: 01872 262465
Email: admin@hallforcornwall.org.uk
www.hallforcornwall.co.uk/index

Not since I had to eat humble pie after discovering the Chuckle Brothers were ridiculously funny have I been so knocked off guard stereotyping a production. 

And having my first experience of the micro-mini, I’m not sure I’m of a generation qualified to take on the men that wooed or the women that wore them.

When I interviewed Su Pollard a few weeks ago, she said that the key to career longevity was reliability.

In essence, modest Su said you got paid to ‘turn up’.

This week together with co-star Claire Sweeney, they kindly shared some of their stage knowledge with pupils from South Devon College.

I don’t know what was said, but I hope Su didn’t sell herself short.

Off the back opening night’s performance Su Pollard gets paid for a lot more than that.

In the middle of a host of great Sixties hits, strung together with some fairly reprehensible flip-flopping dialogue, up pops Su Pollard with a simply breathtaking performance.

Her overall performance and remarkable voice was spellbinding.

One occasion in the second half was just show-stopping, comparable to the likes of Memory in Cats and Stars in Les Miserables.

And the fact it surfaced unscathed in this multi-coloured hugely fun but very frothy production made it all the more impressive.

Where as most productions worry about a plot of some description, Shout! appears to have valiantly brushed it aside like a spare part.

What this brave tactic allows is for more hits to be served up back to back.

And the audience loved it.

The likes of Downtown, You’re My World, Alfie, and Don’t Give Up had people on their feet in no-time.

Claire Sweeney supported Su with an energetic, enthusiastic, charming, if slightly nasal performance.

They were backed by the very strong singing voices of Donna Steele and Shona White.

Backed by token ‘man’ Howard Jones with a host of great lines, girl power plugged itself into the mains supply.

Twist your way down to the Princess Theatre until June 7 where if you purchase a couple of tickets, you’ll come out with a lot to Shout about.

'Shout! is the Sex And The City of the 60s' - Theatre in Wales

'An amusing, nostalgic and hugely entertaining journey through a decade of enormous change. A resounding success.' - South Wales Argus

'If you were there in the 60s don’t miss it. If you weren’t – go and see what you missed.' - South Wales Echo

Princess Theatre, Torbay Road, Torquay TQ2 5EZ
Tel (Enquiries): 01803 290 288
Tel (Booking Line): 0844 847 2315 (24 hours)
www.ofsstudio.org.uk/index.asp?venueid=107

Su Pollard comes across as one of the most pleasant people you could wish to meet from the entertainment industry.

Her caring comedic characters played out on stage and television seem to be life imitating art, or vice-versa, as I chat to her over the phone.

It was one of those rare moments where the person you have seen on television, turned out to be exactly how you imagined them to be.

She was even lovely when our conversation was curtailed as someone cut through her telephone line outside her London home.

Su indicated though, that a common misconception is to mistake that charm for being in some way ditzy or superficial.

Su says her passions run deep.

“I think a lot of people might have been given the impression, I am in some way frivolous, when it comes to emotions.

“That’s not the case. There’s a very, very deep side to me. Deep and meaningful. I just don’t share it with everyone.

“There are people who I have that connection with. Those people who manage to keep you sane throughout your life.

“You have to have both sides to your personality.”

Susan Georgina Pollard was born in 1949 in Nottingham as the eldest daughter to Don and Hilda.

Her interest in the stage began when, at the age of six, she played an angel in the school nativity play. Alas, it was a rocky start, falling through the lid of a box when announcing the arrival of the Angel Gabriel.

Aged 16 she began singing in charity shows and at working men’s clubs and pubs before starting an apprenticeship at the Arts Theatre in Nottingham.

Su made her television debut in 1974 on Opportunity Knocks, where her rendition of I’m Just A Girl Who Can’t Say No from Oklahoma saw her come second — to a singing Jack Russell dog.

“I suppose when you first start out, you just really want to be in work,” she said.

“It’s a great bonus if anything substantial comes along, and I managed to get Hi-De-Hi.

“When you are younger you to tend to wander a bit and wonder where life’s going to lead you.

“I had some inspiration. My music teacher Mr Smith always encouraged me to keep singing.

“A bit of help and support along the way is always good.

“Hi-De-Hi and what I accumulated from my younger years, put me in good stead.”

Although Hi-De-Hi is perhaps the most well known part of her legacy, the first big television break came in the form of Two Up, Two Down, in which she played a hippy named Flo with Paul Nicholas playing her partner.

It lasted only one series but then, in 1979, came the pilot programme for a new BBC comedy written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft set in a holiday camp. 

Hi-De-Hi ran for 10 years and notched up 58 episodes which regularly attracted audiences of more than 15 million.

It’s no wonder why, 20 years on since the last episode was first aired, people still associate her with the series.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of Hi-De-Hi, not that I’m sure I necessarily want to,” she says.

“Eventually people will have seen me do so much other work, but I think people see you as the person you are, regardless of the part that you are playing.”

Su went on to star in You Rang M‘Lord in which she was cast as Ivy Teasdale, maid to wealthy Lord Meldrum, followed by Oh Dr Beeching as Ethel Schumann, resident box office clerk and station gossip.

“I do try to mix and match things a bit with my career,” she said.

“People who are serious actors and actresses are very useful in something like Shakespeare and tend to gravitate to those kind of productions anyway.

“That said, two years ago I played a nurse in Romeo and Juliet. As long as the production is good and you take pride in what you are doing, people will come.

“I’m always going to get comedy based roles though.”

Su’s comedy streak and passion for singing continues in her current project Shout, a musical about the swinging ’60s.

In the production, which opens in Torquay next week, five gorgeous women and one lucky man will twist and shout, shimmy and shake while belting out classic hits including Downtown, Son Of A Preacher Man, I Only Wanna Be With You, To Sir With Love and These Boots Are Made For Walking. 

The soundtrack is central, featuring songs from Cilla Black, Petula Clark, Lulu and Dusty Springfield.

The tour has been on the road since February now and so has Su.

“I adore it. Don’t get me wrong, I love living in London, having been here for a while now. But I do love it when you have the opportunity to travel around and see places.

“But it’s also great to get out of the London traffic once in a while.

“Also, when I’m on tour, I get to meet up with a lot of friends that are dotted around the country.”

Su said the production ranks among her more recent theatrical hits, including Annie.

“It’s absolutely one of the most enjoyable things that I’ve ever done.

“At first it was a case of very small beginnings, I only got the job two weeks after Christmas.

“The producer went to the USA and saw it and decided he wanted to put it on here.

“Of course there had to be some re-writes and it was ‘work in progress’ for some time.

“The reaction that we get from audiences is absolutely fantastic.

“It’s a real feelgood thing, like Mama Mia.”

Su and co-star Claire Sweeney are going to have a busy week in Torquay.

Along with taking a ride in the controversial HiFlyer balloon, the duo are taking some time out to help try to inspire a new generation of actors with a masterclass for some South Devon College pupils.

“I think the greatest thing someone can do is to get themselves a decent agent because it really does take the hassle out of everything. It allows you to just get on with your work. You don’t need to do any of your own negotiation.”

She added: “You have to be able to produce the goods. Reliability really is the main thing that they are employing you for. People pay you to turn up.

“Reliability is everything. It’s not fair on the others in the production otherwise. If you can prove that you are solid, then that’s a really good start.”

You can see Su in Shout! at the Princess Theatre from Tuesday, June 3.

“It’s like a party, but there’s no need to bring a bottle,” she said.

Box office 0844 8472315.

Richmond Theatre, The Green, Richmond, Surrey. TW9 1QJ
Information Line: 020 8939 9277
Box Office: 0870 060 6651
www.theambassadors.com/richmond/index.html

All other seven series of Hi-de-Hi! are in print and available to buy on DVD at the moment.

Grimsby Auditorium, Cromwell Road, Grimsby. DN31 2BH 
Phone: Box Office/Ticketmaster 0844 847 2426 (24hrs) 
www.grimsbyauditorium.org.uk/

Swing back to the sensational 60s with Claire Sweeney (Brookside, Loose Women, Chicago) and the one and only Su Pollard (Hi-De-Hi) in the ultimate family feelgood musical Shout! from Monday 29th September to Saturday 4th October. Twist and shout your way around swinging London with our ‘fab five’ as they discover the fashion, freedom, fun and music that inspired original girl power. Shimmy and shake to the infectious, soulful songs that made Petula Clark, Cilla Black, Lulu and Dusty Springfield legendary singers in this uplifting new musical. Whether you’re an original baby boomer or born in the 90s, Shout! is a celebration of an era everyone wishes they could have experienced – and now you can! Ready, steady, go! Book now for the grooviest party in town! Tickets from £12.

Rock is dead. Long live the theatrical musical. 

I had a most pleasant evening last Saturday in the comfortably plush arms of the Alexandra Theatre. I was there to see Shout, a new musical with songs from the decade we now call the Swinging Sixties, named after our habit of hanging people.

Life was different then, more than 40 years ago. Women couldn't vote for toffee, our rivers had blood in them and the mobile phone hadn't been invented.

To get our kicks, particularly after the gallows and stocks had been removed from our idyllic village greens, we'd put on Alaistair Sim wigs and dance the hula hoop dance in village halls. Working class people, still reeling from the Second World War, had never seen a banana.

This was pre-decimalisation, a time when the coin of the realm was Green Shield Stamps and cigarette coupons. The whole family used to smoke Capstans when we needed a new pair of shoes. Free sex on the NHS was barely a notion, the famous contraception pill was still being trialled on Japanese prisoners of war at Belmarsh.

Rather than dreaming of all our teeth falling out or turning up for a job interview naked, we would dream about Malcolm Muggeridge eating our children. We were skint, grey-skinned, sexually-frustrated and sick of powdered egg. But we were happy.

Now, thanks to the magic of theatre, we are able to relive those days. The songs. The fashions. The arcane slang. The dances. The politics.

In Shout, three young poppets arrive in London with ambition in their hearts. One wants to be an actor, the other a singer. The third, played as if she was born to the role by Claire Sweeney, was a Liverpudlian slapper determined to bonk every bloke in the Big Smoke. They meet the auntie of one of them, a simple hairdresser played by Su Pollard, and launch themselves on the city of dreams. Along the way, they get jobs, lose jobs, get blokes, lose blokes and completely miss the phenomenon of the Beatles. One of them gets in the family way, another marries a gay man by accident and Ms Sweeney's knickers are up and down like a fiddler's elbow.

They all achieve their dreams by the end, of course, except for Su Pollard who's still in the hair-dressing trade rather than working in a seaside holiday camp, a job to which she seems ideal. So, a flimsy plot you will agree. Fret not; it's the music that holds it all together.

With tunes from Dusty, Cilla and Lulu, Shout is a rip-roaring, thigh-slapping romp from start to finish. It's almost like these songs document the decade.

When Petula Clark sang Don't Sleep In The Subway, thousands of war-stressed fire wardens left their underground shelters and walked in to the bright new egalitarian dawn of Harold MacMillan's You've Never Had It So Good old days.

Petula Clark, a child star and one of the original Addams Family, also invented segregation of classes in the smash hit Down Town. Idealistic teenagers who followed her directions found themselve in glum slums with no public transport and rubbish shops which sold rusty Slinkies and melted Lyon's Maid lollies.

Anyone Who Had A Heart, in those far-away days, was pursued by mad-eyed Christian Barnard on the orders of Dusty Springfield, the iconic actress from the Hammer films. Most women in the Swinging Sixties were lovely. They knew their place as nest-builders, knitters and cooks.

Food came in tins, apart from powdered egg, and they coped quite adequately on a modest stipend for the Bettaware catalogue.

As long as there was a good song on the radio, women would generally do as they were told by their husband. While he was at the office, she would keep the house spick and span, have the pie on the table and make sure his underpants were ironed.

Seems strange now doesn't it? This was a long time before the so-called femme-messiah, Jo Brand, descended to earth to forever scorch the fabric of patriarchal society with scathing nob jokes and a withering stare.

It was Dusty's I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, a plaintive lament about the boredom that can follow a good horse brass polishing session, that became an unofficial anthem for every work-shy fop in England.

Shout was history brought to life in thrilling new ways, a glimpse into all our yesterdays. In 40 years time, they'll be showing the Arctic Monkeys musical at the Alex. Don't miss it.

AFTER speaking to Su Pollard for just a few seconds, one thing becomes startlingly clear: my shorthand isn't up to the job. 

"I can only do 100 words a minute," I said. 

"Haven't you got a tape recorder? You haven't? Oh, well," she replied. 

The problem is that Su talks at lightning speed. Speech flows from her breathlessly, in constant waves, like a floodgate on the Hoover Dam. 

Imagine the Roadrunner on drugs or an over-stimulated puppy - Su's boundless energy is the first thing you notice about her. 

She tries to talk a bit slower, but it only lasts about a minute. Before long, she speeds up again and is off: Meep meep! 

The words just spill out of her, and the poor Coyote journalist (in this case, me) just has to keep up. 

In fairness to Su, she has every reason to be excited as her latest stage show, Shout! 

The Swinging 60s Musical, comes to Grimsby Auditorium on Tuesday, May 20. 

"I love Grimsby, the people there are fantastic," enthused Su. 

"I was there about three or four years ago for Annie and everyone was so nice to me. 

"Plus my mum and dad live near Mablethorpe, so I've been up that way on several occasions. 

"I can't wait for some fish and chips, actually. I'm salivating at the thought of it." 

The six-show stop on the tour is just one of more than 20 dates for the show, featuring Su in the role of hairdresser Yvonne and former Brookside actress Claire Sweeney in the part of her niece Ruby. 

Set at the dawn of the 60s, and with London on the cusp of a sexual, musical and fashion revolution, the show tells the story of Yvonne and her family through the medium of some of that decade's best-known musical numbers. 

Su describes it as a whistle-stop tour through the Swinging Sixties, an education in a time when music was evolving into something new, something exciting, something expressive. 

"It's about these people trying to achieve their dreams and ambitions, and the story is just about what happens to them on the way," she said. 

"And it's almost like each song represents their situation at that time." 

Think of Su Pollard and certain things jump instantly to mind: her inimitable performance in Hi-De-Hi as ditsy chalet maid Peggy, that unmistakable voice, those huge glasses, that outfit in You Rang M'Lord? 

However, were you - unlike me - aware that Su's talents also stretch to singing? 

I certainly didn't know she released two singles and an album in the mid-80s. 

"A lot of people don't," said Su. 

"But I've been singing from about the age of five. 

"It's like Elaine Paige and I used to say when we were going to auditions together - she was lucky enough to get Evita, but of course my big break came in a sitcom, and so a lot of people don't know that I have a musical side. 

"That's why this show is so fabulous, it reminds people that you are musical as well." 

Of course, Su's portrayal of Peggy was so memorable there's always the worry that people won't remember anything else in a career spanning over 35 years. 

Su, however, is merely proud to have been part of an iconic British show. 

"I don't really mind all that because if you've been in something that people have enjoyed, and they can look back with fond memories on something that has made them feel good, then it's just nice to have been part of it. 

"Hi-De-Hi is responsible for people coming to see me in the theatre in the past and if it keeps generating an audience then that's what we need - fresh audiences in live theatre." 

With her unbending enthusiasm, it's hard to believe Su is 58, having moved to London from Nottingham to "live over the shop" when she entered showbusiness three-and-a-half decades ago. 

It wasn't the easiest entrance into performing however, having come second place to a singing Yorkshire terrier in an episode of Opportunity Knocks at the start of her career. 

Unperturbed, Su ploughed ever onwards, starring in some of the nation's best-loved comedy classics and appearing in numerous stage shows. 

So, will British audiences ever see a return to the campsite? 

"I don't think so," said Su. "It's like when Jennifer Saunders and that lot re-did Absolutely Fabulous - it never really works. 

"The original writers probably wouldn't have the time or the energy for it now." 

Thankfully for Grimsby audiences, Su's energy shows little sign of waning. 

The six-show run of Shout! The Swinging 60s Musical begins at the Grimsby Auditorium, Cromwell Road, on Tuesday May 20, at 7.30pm. 

For the girls hanging out in Peckham hairdressing salon Best Cuts, life is all about twisting the night away in Mary Quant mini skirts and white boots.

Shout! spans the 1960s, as three girls make their way through financial independence and free love.

The decade unfolds through the pages of Shout magazine, introducing everything from the Pill to "four lads calling themselves the Beatles."

Watching over the girls is chief hairdresser Yvonne, too old for the sexual revolution but still grooving. Sixties images, from Twiggy to a Carnaby Street sign, were emblazoned across the stage, there were authentic vintage costumes and the action raced along in a psychedelic riot of song and dance.

The plot was flimsy - it was 1965 before any of the girls appeared to have a storyline - but it didn't seem to matter. This show celebrates some of the best-loved songs from the Sixties, and the lively audience loved it.

Everyone was on their feet at the end for a medley of crowd-pleasers, sung into the night air as people made their way home.

Su Pollard was a gem as Yvonne, twisting and shimmying through fast-paced dances and belting out showstoppers like You're My World, earning her one of the night's biggest cheers. She's a fabulous entertainer and brought real warmth to the show.

Claire Sweeney, as party girl Ruby, proved a match for the Sixties female greats, with excellent performances of Shout and Alfie. And Donna Steele (Georgie) and Shona White (Betty) delivered flawless performances of To Sir With Love and Little By Little respectively.

The best lines went to the only man, Howard Jones. He was fabulous in various guises, from an ad man with clipped vowels introducing baked beans - "ladies, the way to a man's heart is through a tin" - to a sharp-suited cool cat and a spaced-out hippie reclining on a floral beanbag.

An enjoyable musical flash-back to an era that has a big place in the nation's heart.

Runs until Saturday.

Alhambra Theatre, Morley Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire. BD7 1AJ
Box Office: 01274 432000 
www.bradford-theatres.co.uk 

General enquiries about shows on: 01274 432375
enquiries@bradford-theatres.co.uk

This was a nostalgic and fun step back to the swinging Sixties that had the audience practically dancing in the aisles.

Shout! ended up perfectly towing the line between cheesy and kitsch, so that it resulted in being as bright as some of the mini dresses on stage.

Su Pollard played it as dippy as Peggy from Hide-Hi! and even startled the audience with some singing ability.

But the real belters were left to the impressive cast including former Brookside babe Claire Sweeney.

The musical was cleverly centred around four women in the 1960s, dotted with tongue-in-cheek adverts about everything from getting tea on the table for your husband using tinned food to the launch of the pill and the first package holidays to Spain.

But the music secured its success, packed with Top Of The Pops classics including To Sir With Love, Downtown, Let's Twist Again and of course Shout!

Alexandra Theatre, Station Street, Birmingham. B5 4DS
Phone (24 hrs): 0870 607 7533
LiveCard™ (24 hrs): 0871 230 9880 
www.livecard.co.uk
Click on the theatre/Shout! logo to visit the Alexandra/Live Nation website.

What were you wearing when you met your present partner?
I don't have a partner at present, but when I met my ex-husband I was filming a dawn raid scene for Hi-De-Hi! and was dressed head-to-toe in black. He said I looked like a bank robber.

What did you wear to get married?
It was an Edwardian-style lace dress from Laura Ashley, with broderie anglaise panels, a ruffled neck and a long veil with mother-of-pearl beads.

Do you have Saturday night underwear?
No, I'll wear any make or style any time of the week – as long as my undies aren't plain or boring.

Prada or Primark?
Definitely Primark. I can't stand Prada – it's so dull and predictable. I like fun things with a bit of imagination.

What was your worst fashion faux pas?
A knee-length skirt that had a loose thread and started to unravel at a party. It turned into a mini-skirt.

If you could afford any designer, who would you choose?
I'm not brand loyal – there are so many designers I like. I'm a big fan of Cecil Beaton, whose designs were evocative of the 1920s and 1930s. I also love Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Valentino and Giles Deacon (as seen on Drew Barrymore).

Interview by Gaby Soutar

Eastbourne theatre fans are spoilt for choice this week. Whilst the Home Guard are parading at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Swinging Sixties fans are basking in nostalgia next door at the Congress Theatre.

Shout is a new musical based on a concept by Philip George and David Lowenstein. It has a storyline – Ruby (Claire Sweeney) arrives at her aunt's hairdressing salon in Peckham with two friends she met on the train. Aunt Yvonne (Sue Pollard) introduces them to Swinging London and Shout is the new women's magazine packed with information every young girl needs to know.

Morgan Large's brilliant set immediately transforms you back forty years – who can forget the picture of the girl with the green face that adorned so many walls? He also designed the costumes and many people watching must have yearned for the return of mini dresses and white PVC boots.

Claire Sweeney and Su Pollard head the strong cast who belt out the songs so familiar to all of us who lived through that magical era. Memories of Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield and Mary Hopkin come flooding back and soon the audience were clapping away.

But this is a musical which spans generations. It is two and a half hours of pure entertainment which was enjoyed by young and old. Judging by the enthusiasm of the Eastbourne audience it will run and run – and so it should. You come out feeling happy, feet tapping all the way home.

"We are five women just having a ball. And Su Pollard has been a revelation. I only knew her from Hi-de-Hi but she really can sing.

"She has a singing voice like Aretha Franklin. And she has so much energy - if I am half the woman she is at her age I will be grateful."

Set in a hair-dressing salon, the audience are taken on a musical journey around swinging London, capturing the amazing fashions, liberation and sheer fun of the times.

The show features all the best loved pop anthems from this classic era including; Downtown, Son Of A Preacher Man, I Only Wanna Be With You, To Sir With Love, These Boots Are Made For Walking and many more.

Claire Sweeney first came to the public's attention in Brookside and Clocking Off. 

Since then she has forged a phenomenally successful career in musical theatre including starring West End roles in Chicago and Guys and Dolls.

Su Pollard returns to the Congress Theatre following her starring role in Annie but Su is perhaps best known for her portrayal of put upon chalet maid Peggy in Hi-de-Hi.

She has since has gone on to star in many West End shows with her theatre credits including; Godspell and Me & My Girl.

Tickets cost from £11.50-£22.50, call 01323 412000.

Sunday evening will see a host of top entertainment acts in the special show. Taking place from 7.30pm in North Pier’s theatre the show promises to wow audiences with performances from Christopher Biggins, Su Pollard, Claire Sweeney, Barry McQueen, the cast of Forbidden and many more. This event has separate tickets starting from £16.50.

North Pier Box Office: 01253 623304/01253 621452
Ticketmaster: 0844 8472452
www.ticketmaster.co.uk