Married stars of stage and screen tread the boards together in Blackpool for Hitchcock thriller, The Lady Vanishes

Working together might not be for every married couple – but it was one of the reasons Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield leapt at the chance to tour in the new adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes.
The Lady Vanishes coming to The Grand Theatre, BlackpoolThe Lady Vanishes coming to The Grand Theatre, Blackpool
The Lady Vanishes coming to The Grand Theatre, Blackpool

The husband and wife stage and screen stars lead the cast in this quick-witted thriller – presented by Bill Kenwright with The Classic Thriller Theatre Company – which runs at The Grand Theatre from Monday until Saturday.Emmy award-winning actress Juliet Mills said: “It was dear Bill Kenwright’s idea. “He offered the job to my husband and me together, so that was a big plus. “Doing a tour together just sounded like a lot of fun.“The fact it was a new play was another big plus.” Set on a train in 1938, just before Germany invade Austria, socialite Iris’ unexpected travelling companion suddenly disappears.Iris is perplexed to find all the other passengers deny ever having seen her, but with the help of musician Max she turns detective, and they try to solve the mystery of why the lady vanished. Juliet added: “It’s a real comedy thriller, which is my favourite genre. “I think people love to be scared in the theatre and they love to laugh.” Maxwell Caulfield, whose numerous big screen and television roles include starring with Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2, said: “Juliet and I very much enjoy touring the country together, driving on a Sunday to the next venue, discovering a new British town or city. “Home is where the heart is, so trucking around together you don’t have any enforced separation. It just makes the whole thing much more pleasant.” The cast also features Lorna Fitzgerald, fresh from her shock departure from BBC’s EastEnders in the role of Abi Branning, Matt Barber (Atticus Aldridge in Downtown Abbey), Robert Duncan (Drop The Dead Donkey), Philip Lowrie (Dennis Tanner in Coronation Street), and Ben Nealon (Soldier Soldier).- The Lady Vanishes, Blackpool Grand Theatre, March 4 to 9.