AN opening night to rapturous applause was the chocolate on the Kit Kat for regional comedy writing duo, Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood.

There's bound to be a slight nervousness about a new play that's sold out ten weeks before curtain-up.

And how to follow their previous successes - Good to Firm, Raising the Stakes and Dirty Dusting - is a huge hurdle.

In tone and texture, Waiting For Gateaux is different; it's darker, meatier and more skilfully constructed. But it has a similar mixture of wit to the earlier plays - visual, verbal and various - that made the first night audience howl with laughter.

What's more, the slimmers' club subject matter is universal.

It's well laced with calorific comfort and like all good comedy drama, not only does it burst with contradiction (the slimmers order curries, pizzas and chips during their break at the club), but it teeters on the brink of disaster.

Angela Szalay injects warmth and humanity into Maureen and holds the play together, while David Whitaker's Donald is a beautifully crafted, shrivelling heap of manhood.

They're well supported by Heather Phoenix's brassy Jackie, Tracy Whitwell, the posh villain, and Viktoria Kay, who is a very convincing Goth.

Jackie Fielding does a masterful job with the direction.

* Runs until Saturday. Box office 0191-454 1234.

Published: 08/04/2005