RICHARD Winsor, from Casualty, Matthew Bourne's dance company and StreetDance, is to play Tony Manero in a new touring production of Saturday Night Fever, booked into the Grand Opera House, York, next February.

Now taking on the role that rocketed John Travolta to screen stardom, Winsor has been a principal dancer for Matthew Bourne for ten years around the world, leading Bourne’s celebrated production of Swan Lake, as well as dancing in Dorian Gray, Edward Scissorhands, The Car Man, Play Without Words. The Nutcracker and Spitfire.

He landed the lead role of Tomas in cult British dance movie StreetDance 3D and was snapped up by BBC1 to play Caleb Knight in the flagship medical drama Casualty, a role that ended dramatically last year after three years when Caleb lost his life in a knife fight.

Winsor starred as series regular Father Francis in Hollyoaks and his stage credits include Frankenstein at Northampton Theatre Royal , the British tour of Ballet Central and One Touch Of Venus at the Royal Opera House, London.

Winsor will be taking on his first leading role in a major musical and his first stage appearance since Casualty in the hotly anticipated Saturday Night Fever, produced by impresario Bill Kenwright by special arrangement with the Robert Stigwood Organisation.

Forty years since the Paramount/RSO movie's British cinema release, Saturday Night Fever is a "reimagined and revitalised music and dance spectacular" that will open at the New Wimbledon Theatre, London, on August 30 and will visit Hull New Theatre from January 29 to February 2 and the Grand Opera House, York, from February 12 to 16 next year.

Originally written by Nik Cohn, Saturday Night Fever tells the story of Tony Manero and his reckless, yet thrilling road to dancing success. The musical features such Bee Gees’ mega-hits as Stayin’ Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, Night Fever, Tragedy and More Than a Woman, as well as Seventies' favourites Boogie Shoes and Disco Inferno. The film soundtrack remains the biggest-selling one of all time, incidentally.

While paying homage to the movie, this new stage version promises "more drama, more music and hot new choreography" from a production team led by producer and director Bill Kenwright, with choreography by Olivier Award-winning Bill Deamer, designs by Gary McCaan, lighting by Nick Richings and sound by Dan Samson. The stage adaptation is by Robert Stigwood in collaboration with Bill Oakes and, for the first time, Saturday Night Fever will feature a group playing the Bee Gees live on stage.

Tickets for the York run can be booked on 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york; for Hull, 01482 300306 or hulltheatres.co.uk.

Meanwhile, another musical bound for the Grand Opera House, Dirty Dancing, will now open on Tuesday, October 9, rather than Monday that week. If you need to rearrange your tickets, contact the box office.

Charles Hutchinson