A REAL life married couple are set to star in Shenfield Operatic Society's next production as a pair of childhood sweethearts.
Learning lines in the lounge, calming nerves in the wings and sharing a bow are just some of the special moments for "amdrammers" James and Helen Sinclair.
The pair, who got married four years ago after meeting at a society rehearsal in 2003, are preparing to play Arthur Kipps and Ann Pornick in the classic rags to riches musical Half a Sixpence.
Yet in a story about a young man (Kipps) who lands a fortune overnight and gets a bit big for his boots, there is plenty for the Sinclairs to turn their hand to, including a scene were Ann wildly slaps her beau around the face.
Property maintenance man James, 38, who has acted in and directed a number of group productions, isn't looking forward to getting a scripted slap from his real-life missus.
"The trouble is, I am getting to the point where I know it's coming so I have to try really hard to not to instinctively dodge it," he said. "I just have to 'take it on the chin', as they say."
With both of them landing lead parts in the show – a revamped version of the 1960s Tommy Steele vehicle by David Henneker – Christmas was almost a write-off with line-learning taking precedence.
Helen, 31, who works for a marketing design company in Brentwood, believes the neighbours are likely to be concerned at the noise from their more dramatic home rehearsals.
She said: "When it comes to the argument scenes we would end up bursting out with laughter, because the neighbours must have thought we have a real problem. We were just constantly shouting about the same things every day, it was hilarious."
In this production, which opens at the Queen's Theatre in Hornchurch on January 22, the couple are enjoying their third on-screen romance.
However romantic James – who sang a ballad at the couple's own wedding which they had once sang together on stage in Hello Dolly! – explained how being a real life couple doesn't necessarily make it easy to replicate on stage.
He said: "There is no embarrassment with each other, but in the same way, if you are playing opposite someone that you're not so close to, it brings in another element and dimension, so it can add to the energy of the scene.
"So Helen and I have to be aware of that and we almost have to take ourselves out of being husband and wife and into something else."
But what if he has to watch another society member plant a smacker on his wife's lips – or vice versa?
"We have both played opposite different people and had to kiss, but at the end of the day you are only playing a part."
Half a Sixpence will run at the Queen's Theatre from January 22-26. Tickets cost £16.
To book call 01277 223154 or 01708 443333.
For more information, visit www.shenfieldoperaticsociety.co.uk
