North-East actor Dean Stobbart is stepping back in time for a revival of The Fantasticks. Steve Pratt reports.

Stockton-born actor Dean Stobbart never intended to make his career in musicals, but that's the way it's worked out so far. He's spent most of three years since leaving Mountview Academy singing for his supper in two big London West End musical productions.

First, there was a year in the Madness musical Our House and then 14 months in the Abba show Mamma Mia!. He finished that on a Saturday and the following Monday, started rehearsals for yet another musical, although this time nearer home, at Harrogate Theatre.

Stobbart is the romantic lead in a revival of The Fantasticks, the world's longest running musical which spent an amazing 40 years on Broadway. The show is being staged by the team behind the Harrogate theatre's hit musicals Ain't Misbehaving, Side By Side By Sondheim and Putting It Together, led by artistic director Hannah Chissick. Despite its long US run, the show remains relatively unknown by the public, if not the profession, in this country. "I didn't know it in great detail but I was aware of the show, being at college, where everyone was always talking about musicals," says Stobbart.

"We had the script at the audition and the director talked about her vision of the show. Musically, it's quite intricate. It has a bit of everything. You can reference other musicals from the score." He plays Matt, who falls in love with Luisa, the girl next door, but the pair are separated by their plotting fathers. Set in an old time musical hall, The Fantasticks will make use of the Harrogate venue's Victorian building and its original features, with a production incorporating vaudeville comedy pastiche and a Brothers Grimm fairy tale pop-up book.

Stobbart was another young lover, Sky, in Mamma Mia!. "He wasn't so contained. It was very much a hands-on job, shall we say," he says mischievously. "You couldn't get a more opposite young lover to Matt. This time I get to do sword-fighting as well, so I'm bringing in all the Conan moves."

His time with the Abba musical was spent in the fifth anniversary cast, so he was involved in the celebrations. The Abba reunion didn't quite go as planned when Agnetha didn't turn up but he got to meet the rest of the group. There was also a gala performance in aid of the Prince's Trust attended by Charles and Camilla and Children In Need charity work. "It was a good year and absolutely flew by. We had so much to do and so many things were happening," he adds. He wasn't particularly an Abba fan before joining the musical. "I would never have chosen their CD to play but my mum and dad used to put on their CDs on car journeys," he says. "Having spent 14 months doing the show, I still listen to the music. You think I'd be Abba-ed out, but it's brilliant." In between Our House and Mamma Mia!, Stobbart played the lead in several short films as well as providing the voice of Mr Kit Kat Chunky for the Nestle Choc Idol campaign on ITV1's Pop Idol. "Since I left college three years ago, it's been mostly musicals so I have to concentrate on a lot more TV stuff after this," he says.

His older brother Mark is also an actor, who's currently filming a second series of Newcastle-set police drama 55 Degrees North. He left home to study acting in London at 18, followed three years later by brother Dean. The two shared a house for a time. "It was no more really than doing school plays and musicals that made me want to be an actor. I always enjoyed singing and liked music and acting," he says. "It made it a lot easier for me having someone down in London already. We shared a house for six months and, because he'd already been through it, he was there to help me."

The two haven't been competing for roles - at least not yet. "I'm a bit taller than Mark. We're very similar in some ways and also very different in others. I suppose if there's some North-East-set drama, we might be up for the same part," he says.

"I like everything about performing. Hopefully, I can get to the position where I go between singing and acting and being in front of the camera."

* The Fantasticks is at Harrogate Theatre until April 23.

Tickets (01423) 502116.

Published: 02/04/2005