In 1998 the original production of Jon Conway's musical created legions of fans, vying to outdo each other with ever-wilder Afros and platform shoes. The 2002 tour promises more comedy, a new cast led by soap stars Sam Kane (Brookside) and Sophie Lawrence (EastEnders) and even more tunes to get audiences into the groove.  | | Sophie with cast members Mark Jones and Craig McDermott. |
SophieLawrence's sequinned hotpant and boob-tube look could become a fashion inspiration! Sophie, what’s your favourite thing about Boogie Nights? I get to sing I Will Survive in the second act, which is like the best bit of the show. Because it’s the anthem of all women isn’t it? Every woman in the world who’s ever been dumped or had a bad experience has played I Will Survive and meant it. So it’s a great moment in the show, you get to that point and then they start with that famous chord. Everyone knows what’s coming and they start cheering. Then as it picks up speed and really gets into the number, all the women get up and start clapping and all the men sit there and look sulky. It’s so bizarre the effect it has: women jump up and men sit there going ‘oh no not this women’s lib stuff again’. So that’s just the best bit in the show for me. And then right at the end when we go into the megamix and it’s just like 15 minutes non-stop music and dancing and the audience are on their feet and they’re clapping and singing. It’s just the most amazing buzz in the theatre to see everyone up on their feet and enjoying themselves. So is Boogie Night's more of a women's show, or do you get a mix? It’s definitely more women than men. I think most theatre is, but this especially. They tend to come in groups y’know you get groups of 10 or 12 from hen parties and office parties. There are some couples in there but the men sort of always look a bit scared, but by the end they’re up and joining in. It would be nice to see more groups of men - there’s no reason why not. Because I mean Sam Kane who plays Roddy the main character, he’s a bit of a lad. Y’know the lads would like him, they’d appreciate that he’s a bit of a two-timing scoundrel. What’s it like working with Sam? He’s lovely. Huge though, he’s six feet four inches and I’m only five feet two inches! So he’s huge but he’s a really, really lovely man. We have a lot of fun and get on well together, which always helps on stage. Because we're playing boyfriend and girlfriend we have to have that kind of rapport. I’m really friendly with his wife, Linda Lusardi. I knew Linda before I knew Sam, so she feels comfortable knowing that it’s me up there kissing him! Linda’s so funny. The first week that we did the show, she came down and saw it literally every night and brought the kids. Sam’s little boy, who’s nearly three, calls it ‘Bogey Nights’, which has sort of caught on with the cast. All about those hotpants. Read more>> | 
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