By John Nathan
04 Apr 2006

Smaller, the debut stage play by television writer Carmel Morgan, opens at the West End’s Lyric Theatre April 4. Previews began March 29.

The play sees comedienne Dawn French team up with pop diva Alison Moyet as two sisters whose mother is disabled. While Moyet’s character sings in bars on Spain’s Costa Del Sol, French’s role is that of a school teacher who is also responsible for caring for the sisters’ mother. Moyet has written new music for the show, in which she also sings.

French is best known as the larger half of the TV comedy duo “French and Saunders." She was last seen in the West End in 2003 in My Brilliant Divorce and made her Shakespearean debut two years earlier as Bottom in Matthew Francis’ production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Albery.

Moyet first became well known in the eighties band Yazoo. The pop singer made her theatrical West End debut as Mama Morton in 2001 in the successful West End production of Chicago.

Like French, Burke attained celebrity status as a comedic actor on British television. In a long-running sketch show, Burke starred alongside comedian Harry Enfield, played a vulgar flatmate in the sitcom “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” and made notable appearances in the films “Elizabeth” and “Nil By Mouth.”

But over the last few years Burke has carved out an increasingly impressive career as a stage director, compiling a list of directorial credits that include a well-received production of Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow for Oxford Stage Company.