James Marsh takes on the role of Daddy Brubeck in Sweet Charity

Sweet Charity dancers

Local singer and musician James Marsh will take to the stage in Rochdale for the first time next week at the Curtain Theatre, Rochdale in the classic stage musical Sweet Charity.

James, who is also a regular presenter on Chorley FM will play the role of Daddy Johann Sebastian Brubeck which was made famous by Sammy Davis Jr in the 1966 film of the same name.

Director Andy Kelly said: “James has taken to the stage like a fish to water and he is joining a cast of experienced and talented performers. We cast him because he definitely is not Sammy Davis.

"He has made the part all his own. His experience as a live singer and musician has translated brilliantly onto the theatre stage and I know the response will be phenomenal.”

Whitworth Amateurs have a reputation for producing new musicals and reinventing older shows, and Sweet Charity is no exception.

Originally produced on Broadway, Sweet Charity tells the story of a young New Yorker in the 1960s who always tries to look on the bright side of life, despite working in a rundown dance hall and contending with a seemingly endless run of bad dates.

Determined to find love, Charity falls for suave actor Vittorio Vidal but their romance is all too brief.

However, when Charity finds herself stuck in an elevator with the reserved Oscar Lindquist, it turns out that she may have finally met her match.

James is joined onstage by local regular actor Martin Kelly, Paul Dawson and Aileen Higginbottom- who plays the title role.

Sweet Charity runs from Monday 2 October to Saturday 7 October at 7.30pm each night at the Curtain Theatre, Rochdale.