Morell maze

Candida Morell, a typically strong female lead from the pen of George Bernard Shaw, was one such part and Rebecca is now playing her in Matthew Francis's newly-opened production of Candida at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.

"It's a role I more than fancied playing," she says. "For most actresses it's one of the 'biggies', and many things attracted me to doing it. She's a very strong character; some think that she's wise and brave, others that she's 'thoroughly immoral' - although that was more the thinking of the time when the play was written, as women who thought for themselves and held strong opinions were considered racy."

And where does Rebecca stand on the wise/racy divide. "Oh, I fall into the category that thinks she's wise!" she says.

"And if you come along thinking you're going to see this very immoral woman, by today's standards you'll be confused by what you see, but when Candida was first performed in 1897 it was considered quite outrageous! Today it's not a shocking play but it's still a thought-provoking one."

Shaw's love-triangle play is the story of the parson, the poet and the woman they love. Candida is married to the sensible and organised Socialist clergyman the Reverend James Morell but when young poet Eugene Marchbanks declares his love for her, she faces a Morell dilemma. The two men are pitted against each other as Candida is forced to make a choice.

"Shaw is such a wonderful writer that he writes about her predicament so elegantly," says Rebecca, who believes the play is as relevant today as ever. "We can draw comparisons with women's situations now as there are still many parts of the world where women are considered to be the property of men. As a play about human relationships there are connections at all levels to be made between Victorian attitudes and attitudes today."

Rebecca, who incidentally is the daughter of the actor Peter Egan, is drawn to playing vibrant female roles such as Candida, or Viola in Twelfth Night or Rosalind in As You Like It. "But whether I'm playing strong women or not, I do love classical works, and Candida is just one of those roles you really want to have a go at."

Candida, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until September 16. Box office: 01723 370541.

Four for Fibbers

HOW did Four Star Mary, next Monday's headliners at Fibbers, acquire their name?

Opinions vary. "A drag-queen bar in West Hollywood," says lead singer Tad Loony. "A fortune cookie", insists guitarist Zu.

There is no argument, however, about Four Star Mary's profile being on the rise, thanks not least to their music featuring in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer television series.

Billing themselves as a "true indie band", Four Star Mary are making their debut British visit to promote their first full-length album, Thrown To The Wolves. Fans of Blink 182, The Offspring and Green Day should take a look next Monday; tickets are available at £4.50 in advance from Fibbers, in Stonebow, York.

Highlights are plentiful at Fibbers in the week ahead. Explosive young grunge-rock contenders My Vitriol parade their Cemented Shoes single tonight (tickets £5 in advance); Leicester's Aynsley Lister and his band dish up blues rock in the Hamsters style tomorrow (tickets £5 in advance); power pop trio Benson are joined on Sunday's bill by Verbal, a Scottish group whose line-up includes a drummer raised in York, Gavin Hopper. Now living in Greenock, 22-year-old Hopper is also a film-maker; he masterminded the filming of Verbal's first video and is in the process of producing the first in a series of animated shorts starring a character called Senor Rita. Admission: £3 or £2.50 with a flyer.

Remember Baggy Blue Sky, the York band formed in early 1997? They made the Yorkshire final of Leeds City Council's Bright Young Things competition and came third in the Fibbers/Evening Press Battle of the Bands. They were, however, never happy with their name and so, for the new Millennium, they decided on a new moniker and a new direction as Easy. Next Tuesday, Rich, Simon, Dan, Jon and Andrew launch their first CD. Admission: £3.

Katastrophy Wife is the new project by original Seattle 'riot grrrl' Kat Bjelland, once part of the persistently noisy Babes In Toyland. Kat used to play grunge with Hole's Courtney Love and L7's Jennifer Finch; now she specialises in "free-form punk". Spot the difference at Fibbers next Wednesday. Tickets: £6 in advance.

Step right this way for another Beatles tribute act: The Fab Beatles. Next Thursday, they will be covering the four main eras of the Fab Four career - entitled Mop-top, Help/Rubber Soul, Sgt Pepper and Let It Be/The Final Years - with the aid of period equipment and four costume changes. Tickets: £4 in advance.