Grand Opera House new season highlights

SOAP stars Julie Goodyear and Leslie Grantham lead the big-name attractions signed up for 2002 at the Grand Opera House in York. Former queen of the Rovers Return Julie Goodyear is not making her much trumpeted return to Coronation Street after all. Instead she will be on the road in Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein's musical La Cage Aux Folles, visiting York from February 12 to 16 in the role of Jacqueline.

Describing Miss Goodyear's part, producer Jeremy Hobbs says: "Julie is playing the sophisticated restaurateur who runs her elegant establishment in St Tropez, the home of La Cage Aux Folles. She's a bosom pal of Georges and Albin who own and run La Cage Aux Folles and she features strongly in the second act when she assists in sorting out the family predicament at La Cage."

Miss Goodyear will be singing one number in the show, The Best Of Times Is Now. "The part of an elegant French lady in a major musical is obviously a great challenge for Julie after years behind the bar at the Rovers Return," says Jeremy, who will be playing Georges. "However, she has come up trumps, being the pro she is."

Another former soap publican, Leslie Grantham, swaps from scary to scared in Stephen King's thriller Misery from May 13 to 18. Forever associated with the villainous EastEnders role of Dirty Den Watts, Grantham plays a writer trapped in the house of his number one fan after she rescues him from a car crash. Sandra Maitland stars as the demented fan.

The Grand Opera House year starts off with a bang: the Russian National Ballet in Swan Lake and The Nutcracker (see Show Of The Week on Page 14) next week, followed by the return of Grease from January 14 to 19. The American high school musical first toured the Opera House last May, with Steven Houghton in the principal role of Danny Zuko. For the 2002 performances, South African Craig Urbani will be leading the cast.

Urbani began his professional career in The Rocky Horror Show in South Africa in 1992 and a year later he performed alongside Robert Mitchum and Bo Derek in the film Woman Of Desire.

Coming to Britain, he starred as Buddy in the West End and Nick Piazza in the UK tour of Fame. He became the first person to take on the role of The Fonz on stage in the musical Happy Days under the direction of the Fonz himself, Henry Winkler.

Other week-long runs go to John Godber's revival of his skiing comedy, On The Piste, from February 4 to 9; David Wood's adaptation of Roald Dahl's James And The Giant Peach, April 16 to 20; Fame, The Musical, April 29 to May 4; and Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, June 3 to 8.

The theatre programme is completed by Vienna Festival Ballet's performance of Coppelia, March 10, and Pied Piper Theatre Company's production of The Book Of The Banshee, Anne Fine's drama of modern teenage life, March 15 and 16.

Music highlights include the National Opera of Moldova performing Puccini's Tosca on February 3; American soul star Alexander O'Neal, February 26; Call Up The Groups, with The Barron Knights, the Tremeloes, The Fortunes and Marmalade, March 3; Marti Webb in The Magic Of The Musicals, March 7; Joe Brown, April 2; the return of Beyond Broadway, May 5; American alternative country collective Lambchop, May 10; and the Ukrainian National Opera of Odessa, presenting Verdi's La Traviata, June 2, and Rossini's The Barber Of Seville, June 16.

As ever, there are bags of tribute shows: Meat Loaf 2, The Meat Loaf Story 13th Anniversary Tour, March 2; Country Legends, March 12; Magic, A Kind Of Queen, March 17; That'll Be The Day, March 24; Abba Gold, March 14; and Talon, The Best of The Eagles, May 9.

In the comedy corner stand The Chuckle Brothers, in Raiders Of The Lost Bark, February 17; The Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Bible, The Complete Word Of God (Abridged), February 28 and March 1; Cornishman Jethro's Beyond The Edge Tour, April 6; and, inevitably, Ken Dodd, on June 9.

For tickets and brochures, ring 01904 671818.

Updated: 10:38 Friday, January 04, 2002