Wedding Singer 'great' for Natalie

Natalie Casey stars in the stage muscial The Wedding Singer

If you're desperate to see Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps star Natalie Casey - better known to Hollyoaks fans as Carol Groves - then you need to check your theatre listings, as she could be heading your way.

The bubbly actress is starring alongside stage stalwart Jonathan Wilkes in a touring musical version of hit movie The Wedding Singer.

She says: "It's going great, really well. We're half way through the tour now and it's where it starts getting difficult and you've got to dig in."

Luckily, she and her co-star have a great working relationship. "It's really nice working with Jonathan," she says, adding: "I didn't know him before I joined the show, though I knew people who had worked with him.

"It's a genuine relief when you do get on, as you can't fake rapport. If you hated each other, you'd be able to tell."

The actress trod the boards last year with the musical Fame, but this is her first experience of moving around the country, and it's clear she likes it. "Touring is quite interesting and it's nice to have weekly venues," she laughs, continuing: "If you really hate it, by Thursday you've nearly left, but it's the same if you like it. I'm sure by the end I'll be knackered though!"

So, how has it been following in the footsteps of Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler - is there added pressure?

"I think they're always some pressure," Casey says. "If you're an actor and want to be a professional, then you want to do a good job. But for The Wedding Singer, in a way there's less pressure, because you know it's a format that works."

That's not so say there haven't been scary moments, as she reveals: "When we opened in Manchester the guy who wrote the film came to see it so that's quite nerve racking. But you've got to forget all that and go on and do whatever you do."

The Wedding Singer will be playing at theatres around the country until July, including Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Nottingham and Southampton.