Last November Barrie Rutter's Northern Broadsides company completed its successful touring production of King Lear.

Then, to mark the Millennium, Broadsides did five performances of Tony Harrison's Mysteries. That done, the company went into rehearsals for Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing, which starts next week. Don't they ever stop working?

Actor-manager Rutter has to keep the show on the road to pay the bills. One way of doing that is to play the Bill, the Bill in question being William Shakespeare.

During a break in rehearsals, Rutter said he was confident that his latest production of the Bard will be up there with Twelfth Night and Midsummer Night's Dream - both tremendous successes.

"This will be one of the few productions of Much Ado where Beatrice plays slide trombone!" he announced, evidently pleased to be able to say so.

"We have a tenor sax solo and a welcome return of the tea-chest bass. Broadsides is one of the few professional companies in which the actors do everything."

Including clog-dancing. Last used by Rutter in Richard III two years ago, he has re-introduced this kind of heavy duty sole music. Why?

"Don John says he is caught between 'a muzzle and a clog' and you have to have a dance. Although the play has a bitter and dark centre, we all know it's a comedy. In the end everybody gets what we hope they do. They do, but the path ain't easy."

There are two love stories woven into the weft of the play. The first involves Claudio, a young and successful soldier, and the woman of his dreams Hero. The jealous Don John, furious that Claudio has gained so much credit from the recent wars, contrives by villainy and deception to wreck his life.

Into the plot step Beatrice and Benedick, steadfastly opposed to marriage, suspicious of passion and confirmed rivals in wit. Their attempts to score points at each other's expense is one of the highlights and delights of this play.

Playing the battling B & B are Debbie McAndrew - Coronation Street's Angie Freeman - and her real-life husband Conrad Nelson, the musical genius who arranges all of Broadsides' music and a capella singing. It's Debbie who plays the slide trombone. Why? Well, because she can.

Barrie Rutter, an excellent Malvolio in a wondrous Twelfth Night, takes up another comic role in Much Ado.

"I am Dogberry, constable of this parish. Well, I was Lear so I deserve another comic role don't I? Although this play isn't in the big top ten of Shakespeare, at the moment we are certainly having a good time on it," he added.

Slide trombone, tenor sax, tea-chest bass, clog-dancing AND Beatrice and Benedick's wit combat...I can hardly wait.

Much Ado opens at Dean Clough's Viaduct Theatre in Halifax on Thursday and runs until February 26 and then goes on the road. Unlike Lear, Rutter will not be bringing it to Salts Mill but it is on at West Yorkshire Playhouse from March 7-11 as well as Skipton's Cattle Mart from April 13-15.

The play starts at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £12 and £9 concessions. The Viaduct's box office number is 01422-255-266.

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