HAVING seen musical star Elizabeth Carter described as a Geordie and Washington-born I have to ask her on which side of the great Newcastle-Sunderland divide she actually falls.

“I would call myself a Geordie, but I am from Washington,” says the performer who plays the character of Laura in touring show Dreamboats and Miniskirts.

But doesn’t that make her a Mackem?

“Well, yes, but I went to school in Birtley, so I’d like to be classed as a Geordie, but my dad is a true Mackem and supports Sunderland,” she replies.

Carter is about to complete her latest tour in a Bill Kenwright show with performances at York Opera House next week before finishing the run at Sunderland Empire the week after.

“Well, when I finish the show at Sunderland I’ll be a Mackem,” she laughs.

Carter recalls singing at the Empire as a 16-year-old for a Rotary Club fundraiser, but this is her professional debut.

“I’ll have been with this show for about 15 months and it will be a lovely venue to finish on. I’m going to be staying with my parents, Bob and Pauline.”

Carter has appeared in the first version of the show based on a CD of popular 1950s songs which was called Dreamboats and Petticoats and another musical called Save The Last Dance before moving on to Miniskirts as the Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran-scripted productions moved into the 1960s.

Asked for the highlight she’ll take away with her, she says: “Honestly, I’ve just come off-stage from singing at a matinee and when the audience is singing along with you, I feel like a real pop star.

“The words you sing really mean something to the people singing along with you. You can see that on their faces. In musical theatre that is an additional treat for us because every song we sing in this show means something. It’s really addictive for a performer because you can feel how the audience are as you’re singing. That’s quite unusual and really special.”

Carter is pleased that the scripts are a good vehicle for the music and the jokes are relevant to the people who are watching.

“When I was rehearsing, I didn’t know that some of the things I said would be funny until I performed them and then it was, ‘Oh that’s funny, okay’. Things like me asking if anyone wants to go for a Wimpy and it wasn’t funny to me and the cast, but it’s got a raucous laugh every time I say it.

Apparently, going to the Wimpy was a big thing then, so my mum tells me.

“I remember I was at home and it was lovely reading through the scripts with my dad because he would chuckle at certain things and then explain to me why it was funny to his generation. I could tell from him that his generation were going to enjoy the show because it was taking them back to their childhood.”

Carter’s parents have seen her latest tour quite a few times, but are keen to see her Sunderland finale.

Her next port of call is the Lyceum Sheffield where she’ll be playing the Princess in Aladdin for Christmas.

“I’ll have a couple of weeks off and then head over there. I haven’t heard who my prince is going to be yet. I’ve done quite a few pantos now and it’s a real part of Christmas and you can really go to town in front of all those kids. I’ll manage to get back home for Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve because it’s a couple of hours in the car,” says Carter, who has a brother living in York and will be catching up with her nieces and nephews when Dreamboats tours to North Yorkshire.

Originally, after qualifying from Bretton Hall Drama College, Carter was based in Leeds and Sheffield, but has now moved to London.

“When my student railcard went out the window I had to move to London because of the cost of attending auditions. I didn’t have a choice, I was forced to move south. I absolutely loved it at Bretton Hall because we could go out in the fields making up plays and the dance class was in the conservatory overlooking the lake,” she says of the building which closed recently.

Carter is looking at creating a one-woman show for herself.

“That’s my new thing. It was the kind of thing we talked about at Bretton Hall. I’d quite like to revisit that idea and the great thing about my current job is that it allows me to work on my show which, hopefully, I can put on the road next year. Obviously, like a lot of other actors I’ll be trying to take the show to Edinburgh. I’ve played it before and it’s great fun,” she says.

Dreamboats and Miniskirts tour dates: October 19 to 24, Grand Opera House York. Box Office: 0844-871-3024

Oct 26 to 31, Sunderland Empire. 0844-871-3022