WHEN actress Susie Blake was banned from her daughter Shelly's home in Coronation Street for stealing her man she walked straight into the part of another mum - in Cole Porter's musical High Society. Susie may be best-known for her role as Bev Unwin, the mother of Rovers Return barmaid Shelly, but she is now playing the mother of another troubled woman. Tracy Lord is on the eve of her wedding day when she suddenly has to choose between her love for three men. A West End hit, Susie has been with High Society since it began touring late last summer and is loving the excitement of being back on stage after 14 months of television. "Musicals are just such fun," she says. "You turn up from your cold and miserable digs and you may be feeling a bit tired but then you sit to begin putting your make-up on and the band strikes up and I defy anyone not to feel excited at that sound. "Musicals are all about equality. Everyone is working together and you are all equal once you are on stage. I don't see myself as a singer, I can sing a bit and hold a note, but so many in the cast have really lovely voices and are great dancers so there just isn't any room for ego. "And the audience feels the pull of that enthusiasm - there is so much good spirit and generosity coming from the stage how can they help but love it?" Cole Porter's High Society is derived from two classic films - The Philadelphia Story with James Steward, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn and High Society with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Cole Porter took their story of the high society heiress facing a wedding quandary and added a few magical ingredients of dance and songs such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, True Love and Just One of Those Things. And, says Susie, the result is irresistible. "Cole Porter just had a way of giving you a really good story with all the colour and beauty of dance and music," she says. "People want good stories where they care about the characters and they like the music and the songs. It is no surprise that Cole Porter'smusicals are still so popular-today." An actress for more than 30 years, Susie had an impressive catalogue of performances before becoming a household name in Coronation Street. Birmingham is her last date on the High Society tour - her role will then be taken by Liza Goddard, as she is planning a round-theworld trip and a return to The Street. "I have no idea what they are planning for Bev," says Susie. "Because I have been working in theatre all this time I have lost track of the story myself." * High Society is at Birmingham Hippodrome on Feb 1-5, contact 0870 730 1234 or www. birminghamhippodrome.com. | 
