A FIESTY foursome who hit the jackpot on a race day are back in the spotlight at Staveley.

Thespians Kathryn Nicholson, Kate Vernon, Alison Hine, and Rachel Battersby return to the Roundhouse in Ladies Down Under, the funny, heart-warming sequel to last year’s production of Ladies' Day.

Amanda Whittington’s play reprises Mint-cake factory workers, Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda following their half a million pound win at York Racecourse.

After landing the windfall, the girls decide to celebrate in style with a trip of a lifetime to the land of Oz.

While Shelley dreams of luxury and glamour, the rest of the gang decide to go native. Shelley soon discovers there's more on offer than fashionable hotels, stunning beaches and sun-kissed surfers; and Pearl finds that she's got a mountain of her own to climb.

Director Fliss Pocock says that last year they explored the four women characters in depth, each one of them having a vulnerable side but also hidden strengths and very different personalities: “It’s been really strange rehearsing a play where we feel that we already know the characters inside out. Like revisiting very old friends.

“In Ladies Down Under we see how winning a substantial amount of money has affected the girls. Each character undergoes some sort of transformation after going on a trip of a lifetime which gives them the space to assess their lives.”

The play asks can money make you happy and how important is friendship?

The production also features Bob Christie and Chris Whiteside, who played many different characters in Ladies’ Day. Once again the ‘boys’ get to show off their acting talents playing several roles each, some, apparently, more glamorous than others.

Ladies Down Under runs Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10 and Monday-Wednesday, May 12-14 (7.30pm).

Box office 015395-61076 or email staveleyrht@btinternet.com.