Win tickets to Crazy For You starring Claire Sweeney and Tom Chambers at Sunderland Empire

The glamorous Watermill Theatre production of the Broadway musical, which features Claire Sweeney as Irene, Tom Chambers as Bobby and Charlotte Wakefield as Polly, will sashay into Sunderland from April 24 to 28.

It features mistaken identities, plot twists, heartbreak, happiness and a wealth of memorable tunes, including I Got Rhythm, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Nice Work If You Can Get It and Embraceable You.

Speaking about her character, Claire, who rose to fame in Brookside, said: “Irene is very sophisticated, and she thinks she knows exactly what she wants when it comes to her life and love. But, in practice, she completely goes for the opposite of what she originally wanted in terms of the man she ends up with.”

She added: “She’s just a great character, and a vamp. Plus, she has that fantastic number Naughty Baby in act two which is a dream to sing.

“She’s a very glamorous woman with a bit of an edge to her, which is the sort of character I love to play.”

As well as a successful TV career in shows such as Clocking Off and Loose Women, Claire’s pulled on her dancing shoes for a number of musical roles including Roxie Hart in Chicago and Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls.

Co-star Tom Chambers created the role of Jerry Travers in the West End musical Top Hat, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. In 2008 he won the sixth season of Strictly Come Dancing.

l To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets to see Crazy For You at Sunderland Empire on Tuesday, April 24, answer this question: in which former Channel 4 soap did Claire Sweeney rise to fame.

Send your answer and contact details on a postcard to Katy Wheeler, Johnston Press North East, 2nd Floor, Alexander House, 1 Mandarin Road, Rainton Bridge Business Park, Houghton, DH4 5RA.

Or, you can email your answer and contact details to [email protected]. Closing date: March 28.

•Crazy For You, with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, is at Sunderland Empire from April 24 to 28.

Tickets are available in person from the Box Office on High Street West, from the Ticket Centre on Tel. 0844 871 3022 or online at www.atgtickets.com/sunderland.