PANTO favourite Berwick Kaler is making an about-turn with his latest stage appearance.

For years, the Geordie actor has been delighting audiences with his eccentric Dames at the annual Christmas show at York's Theatre Royal.

But now he is taking on his first serious role at the theatre for nearly 20 years, in the Harold Brighouse classic Hobson's Choice.

He takes on the role of a cantankerous and bumptious shoe shop owner in the production, which will run from March 29 until April 16.

Fondly remembered for the 1953 film by David Lean and starring Charles Laughton and Sir John Mills, Hobson's Choice tells the story of Henry Horatio Hobson, the drunken and tyrannical owner of a shoemaker's shop.

When Hobson refuses to provide a dowry for his two younger daughters, he is tricked into doing so by their older sister, Maggie, who further humbles her father by marrying his chief boot-maker and opening a rival shop, launching a battle of wits between father and daughter.

Tickets for the production are £8 to £17.50, and £3.50 for under 25s and students. To book, call (01904) 623568.

Published: 01/03/2005