DAVID Williams, Eileen Nichols and Maurice McCarthy, last performed as the English Lakes Touring Company in Alan Ayckbourn’s A Chorus of Disapproval, which toured Cumbria and north Lancashire in 2003.

Now though, they're back on stage at Staveley Roundhouse, from Thursday-Saturday (January 19-21, 7.30pm) in one of the great American comedies, Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys.

The play sees Maurice as Al Lewis, and David playing, Willie Clarke, the famous vaudeville team known as The Sunshine Boys, who despite working together for 43 years, disliked each other.

Al and Willie have not spoke to each other since Lewis walked out on the team's final show 11 years ago leaving Clark, a die-hard New York showman, to soldier on regardless.

When the television company, CBS, invites the two to reunite for a ‘special’ on the history of comedy, Willie’s nephew, Ben, has the onerous task of trying to get the cantankerous pair to meet up again. The feud is reignited with dramatic results as they prepare to perform their famous comedy routine one last time.

The Sunshine Boys also brings back another well known name to the Lakeland stage - Alan Mathews, of Freehold Theatre Company, who has director scores of plays across Cumbria and Lancashire.

The cast also includes Steve Johnson as the long-suffering nephew Ben and Eileen Nichols and Erica Mathews as nurses.

For tickets telephone 015395-61076.