You might think that a show inspired by erotic literary phenomenon 51 Shades Of Grey, which promises a “slightly filthy journey of love, booze and whips”, would be a little on the risque side.
But Adele Silva, former darling of the lads’ mags who stars in the one-woman show, insists it’s more slapstick comedy than slap and tickle.
Adele plays a working-class girl looking for love in 51 Shades Of Maggie, a spoof of EL James’s famous trilogy coming to Bradford this month.
The comedy, which is back on the road following sell-out shows in Glasgow, Belfast and Dublin earlier this year, started life as a Facebook-based spoof blog written by Leesa Harker. Quickly gaining a loyal following, it went viral, reaching 29,000 followers within days, and was adapted for the stage.
It’s the story of Maggie Muff who, like many women, has been let down by all the men in her life. When she attends an interview at the Social Security office, Maggie meets handsome and hunky Mr Big, who could just be the man of her dreams. But will his ‘Private Room of Pain’ put her off?
“People ask me if I’m nervous about doing the sexy scenes but it’s really not sexy,” says Adele, 33. “Maggie is clumsy and she always gets it wrong. She doesn’t seem to get anything right - her clothes, her flirting, her relationships. That’s what makes her likeable.”
While the play, which is “filled with naughty bits”, sounds like ideal girls’ night out material, Adele says men are enjoying it too. “We get lots of men in the audience, and couples. It’s great fun. I devoured all three of the 51 Shades of Grey books, it’s just escapism which we all need these days,” she says.
“I’ve always had it on my bucket list to do a one-woman show, it’s a challenge but I’m loving it. I love comedy but I’ve not done much.”
Born in London, Adele has grown up on stage and screen. Her first television appearance was as Squeak in a 1989 Doctor Who episode, Survival, which was the final story transmitted from the show’s initial 26-year run. She is best known for playing scheming Kelly Windsor in Yorkshire soap Emmerdale, originally joining as a young teenager in 1993. She left in 2000 and returned five years later as a classic soap bitch. Kelly’s explosive storylines included having a relationship with her stepbrother and running off with one of her teachers.
Adele has also appeared in TV dramas Mile High, The Courtroom and the films Jam and short film Karma Magnet, directed by Martin Kemp. She’s no stranger to reality shows, with appearances on the likes of Celebrity Fear Factor, The Salon, I'm Famous and Frightened!, Celebrity 5 Go Dating and Hell’s Kitchen, in which she came second to Barry McGuigan. She returned to Emmerdale for a stint in 2011.
“I grew up on Emmerdale, soap is great experience for a young actor because you really learn your trade,” says Adele. “People don’t realise what hard work it is; you get your script and you can be filming 12-plus sequences a day. It’s exhausting but I loved my time there, and Kelly was a gem to play.”
51 Shades of Maggie runs at St George’s Hall from November 12 - 14. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.