YORK Stage will present Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall’s Yorkshire comedy Billy Liar, starring Alex Papachristou as dreamer Billy Fisher, at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from Wednesday.

“Billy Liar is one of the defining stage roles from the 1960s, and I know Alex will embrace the chance to play so many characters all wrapped up in one,” says Robert Readman, explaining why he cast him as the chameleon undertaker’s clerk in the fictional Yorkshire town of Stradhoughton.

Just as Billy creates characters, so 21-year-old Alex has made his mark in a series of principal roles for York Stage Musicals, New Earswick Musical Society and Upstage Centre Youth Theatre, most recently his startling turn as the troubled Moritz in the Yorkshire premiere of Spring Awakening last November.

“But I think this is harder because Billy is quite like me,” says Alex. “I see lots of elements of him in me. I think I live in my own little world quite a lot of the time, where I always think, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if…’ “It’s that fantasy of where I’d like to be, in relation to everything I’m doing.”

One scene will be especially poignant for Alex: the moment when Billy has to decide whether he will board the train to London. Without giving the ending away, Alex would welcome that choice too, as he continues to cherish hopes of attending drama school.

“We could rewrite the ending as Billy goes to stage school,” he jokes.

In the meantime, however, he will continue to catch the eye in York in such principal roles as Billy Fisher.

“Billy is arrogant, lazy and selfish, yet he emits an air of sadness at the lack of direction his life has taken”, says Alex.

“He chooses to lie, embellish and fantasise, as opposed to facing the reality of his situation. This naturally gets him into trouble.”

Part of the pleasure of the role lies in playing Billy’s myriad characters.

“It’s not just one character. It’s seven or eight, but they’re all still Billy, so it’s always a variation of him, and it’s not until the end that you see the real Billy,” says Alex.

Billy Liar will run from February 23 to 26 at 7.30pm nightly plus a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. Tickets are on sale at £8 to £11 on 01904 623568 or online at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk