ACHY BREAKY BRIDE Will Return to St Helens Theatre Royal

Achy Breaky Bride is set to return to St Helens this summer. The new Regal Entertainments Ltd production comes to St Helens Theatre Royal from 23 – 27 September 2026. Tickets are on sale now priced at £25.

Audience favourite Leanne Campbell will reprise the role of Jolene which she previously played to acclaim at St Helens and Liverpool's Epstein Theatre seven years ago. She will be joined by X Factor star David Heath, Rachael Wood, Conor Barrie, Katy McKenna, Jenna Sian O'Hara, Kay Nicholson and Liverpool Drag Queen Shania Pain.

It's never a dull day in Dolly's Dream Dresses, St Helens' boutique bridal shop run by A Boy Named Sue (David Heath) and his twin sister Jolene.

Watch all the crazy antics unfold as Sue and Jolene work non-stop from 9-5 to help these blushing brides-to-be prepare for their big days. Will they make it down the aisle without a hitch? Will they stand by their man proclaiming I will always love you? Don't count on it!

The hilarious musical comedy features a host of country music classics including Crazy, Rhinestone Cowboy, Rose Garden, Jolene, Achy Breaky Heart and many more.

Achy Breaky Bride is written by Emma Culshaw and David Paul and is brought to the stage by Regal Entertainments Ltd. Chantelle Joseph directs.

Leanne Campbell is Jolene. Actor and presenter Leanne started her acting career at the age of 10, with early roles including Annie at The Liverpool Playhouse and an award-winning performance as young Helen in the much-loved Twopence to Cross the Mersey. She went on to play many more leading roles in musicals and plays including Me and My Girl, Carousel, The Sound of Music and Scrooge. She was also cast as Pam in ITV's Children's Ward.

In 2020 she wrote and starred in the successful comedy play Pete Price is Dead at Liverpool's Royal Court. Other recent productions include The Salon, The Salon – the Sequel! and Achy Breaky Bride for Regal Entertainments and Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show at The Liverpool Playhouse.

Her many high-profile panto appearances include five years at the Liverpool Empire and six consecutive years at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena. Most recently she appeared as the Fairy Godmother in Regal Entertainments' Cinderella at St Helens Theatre Royal.

David Heath plays Sue. X Factor and Eton Road star David returns to St Helens Theatre Royal after appearing in the title role in Jack and the Beanstalk at February half term. Before he rose to fame on X Factor, he trained in musical theatre at Merseyside Dance and Drama Centre and has also been a finalist twice on Sky's Got to Dance with the group Dance Dynamix.

His other stage credits include Achy Breaky Bride for Regal Entertainments, The Wizard of Oz and Aladdin at St Helens, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Bolton Albert Halls, Jack and the Beanstalk at The Brindley, and the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz at the Epstein Theatre and Stockport Plaza.

Rachael Wood returns to St Helens Theatre Royal hot on the heels of appearing as Miss Fleshcreep in Jack and the Beanstalk. LIPA-trained actor and singing teacher Rachael also recently completed a run in Dick Whittington, playing Fairy Bow Bells, while other previous roles for Regal Entertainments include Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty and Madam Botox in Beauty and the Beast.

Liverpool Theatre School graduate Conor Barrie most recently appeared for Regal Entertainments as Dandini in Cinderella at the Epstein Theatre. His other stage credits include the Lion in the Wizard of Oz, Baron von Vippermall in Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, as well as playing Dmitri in The Salon – the Sequel! all at St Helens Theatre Royal.

Katy McKenna is a real favourite with St Helens audiences. Most recently seen as the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, her theatre credits include The Greatest Show, Stomping Steiners, a UK tour of The Snow Queen, Belle in a national tour of Beauty and the Beast, The Salon – the Sequel! at St Helens Theatre Royal and the Scouse Cinderella at Liverpool's Royal Court.

Jenna Sian O'Hara also returns after appearing in Achy Breaky Bride in 2019. Her other theatre credits for Regal Entertainments include Sue in Rita, Sue and Bob Too! at St Helens and on a UK tour, Night Collar, The Salon – the Sequel, Cinderella, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and, most recently, she played Tommi the cat in the award-winning Dick Whittington.

Comedian and actor Kay Nicholson has appeared twice as Rita in Rita, Sue and Bob Too! for Regal Entertainments. Her other stage credits include resident host at Magic Mike London and, most recently, Fairy Mary in Jack and the Beanstalk at St Helens Theatre Royal. Kay was a finalist in the 2025 Funny Women awards, representing the Northwest, has supported Tom Stade on tour and regularly appears at comedy clubs across the country.

And Shania Pain plays Breathless. Shania has taken the cabaret scene by storm over the last eight years, performing at prestigious venues around the country and appearing with Drag Race superstars such as Detox, Bianca Del Rio and the late The Vivienne, as well as headlining Manchester Pride and enjoying a stint in the West End in Drag Queens of Pop at the Vaudeville Theatre. Previous credits for Regal Entertainments include one of the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella and, most recently, the Wicked Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Chantelle Nolan said: “I'm really excited to bring Achy Breaky Bride back to St Helens Theatre Royal where it was such a huge hit with our audiences in 2019. It has an incredibly funny script and is filled with some of the greatest classic country music hits which will get everyone line dancing in the aisles.

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