MYSTERY surrounds the cancellation of a show that was due to be performed in the North-East next month

Personals, which has been co-written by award-winning sit-com writers, was to go on stage at Darlington Civic Theatre.

But staff at the theatre announced last night that, because of reasons beyond their control, the show would not go ahead.

The public relations company handling publicity for the show has said it does not know the reason behind the tour's cancellation.

The show was to tour the UK for the first time next month, beginning with a performance at Blackpool on March 3.

It was scheduled to play in Darlington from March 27 to Saturday, April 1.

The comedy musical, which stars Gary Wilmot, is about six lonely hearts who try to find love through the personal columns.

The show was written by the creators of Friends, David Crane, Seth Friedman and Marta Kauffman, with music by some of Broadway's most successful composers, including Stephen Schwartz, who wrote Godspell, and Alan Menken, who wrote Little Shop of Horrors and Beauty and the Beast.

A spokeswoman for Darlington Borough Council, which manages Darlington Civic Theatre, said the local authority had not been told why the performance was not going ahead.

She said: "Some tickets have already been sold and we will be sending people who bought them a letter saying how they can get a refund."

A spokesman for Guy Chapman Associates said it, too, had been left in the dark about why the tour had been cancelled.

He said: "We don't really have any more information.

"All we know is the producers made the decision on Friday to cancel the tour."

The management of the show is being handled by Paul M Coxwell, for Oscada Ltd.

Yesterday, nobody at Oscada was available for comment.