Amanda Holden, Angela Griffin, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Tamzin Outhwaite, Nicola Stephenson

Wonderfully funny and heart-warming, Stepping Out charts the lives of seven women and one man attempting to tap their troubles away at a weekly dancing class. Initially all thumbs and left feet, the group is just getting to grips with the basics when they are asked to take part in a charity gala.

Over the course of several months we meet the group, and all of them have a story to tell. There’s haughty Vera, mouthy Maxine and uptight Andy; bubbly Sylvia and shy Dorothy; eager Lynne and cheerful Rose, and, of course, Geoffrey. At the piano is the dour Mrs Fraser and spurring them all on, the ever-patient Mavis.

One of the UK’s best-loved personalities, Amanda Holden plays Vera. Nominated for an Olivier Award in 2004 for Thoroughly Modern Millie, she is also a judge on the award-winning Britain’s Got Talent. She is joined by Angela Griffin (One Man, Two Guvnors, Waterloo Road), Tracy-Ann Oberman (Edmond, New Tricks), Tamzin Outhwaite (Sweet Charity, EastEnders) and Nicola Stephenson (War Horse, Emmerdale).

This uplifting play is directed by Maria Friedman who made an astonishing directorial debut in 2012 with an acclaimed production of Merrily We Roll Along. A prolific writer for both television and stage, Richard Harris’s credits include Outside Edge, Shoestring, A Touch of Frost and The Last Detective.