NIGHT COLLAR Comes to St Helens Theatre Royal Next Week

Night Collar will pull into St Helens next week with a cast of colourful characters promising Theatre Royal audiences a fantastic evening of big laughs.

The classic stage comedy, written by former cabbies Tony Furlong and Jimmy Power, runs from Friday 26 September to Sunday 5 October 2025.

It's Christmas Eve in Merseyside and a reliable cabbie, reluctantly working the ‘night collar', is about to encounter a series of hilarious fares and become embroiled in their lives. They include a naked member of a stag party left in a wheelie bin, an Elvis impersonator with domestic woes, a drunk couple in the middle of an argument and a Santa Claus with tummy troubles.

John May plays the taxi driver at the heart of the new and updated Regal Entertainments production of the much-loved story which was first staged in 1994.

And he will be joined on the raucous, rollercoaster ride by Emma Grace Arends, Jenna Sian O'Hara, John O'Gorman and Sam Jones-Arthur.

Liverpool actor and comedian John May is well-known for his comedy character creations including Turkey Teeth, Kenny and Karen Corona and Derek which were developed during the Covid lockdown and have made him an internet sensation.

His screen credits include Coronation Street, This City is Ours, Unforgiven, Our Eddy, Moving On, Fresh Meat, Time, Tin Star, Little Boy Blue and Doctor Who.

Earlier this summer he played Wayne in The Legend of Rooney's Ring at Liverpool's Royal Court.

Emma Grace Arends' theatre credits include The Duchess of Malfi (Greenwich Theatre), The Scouse Jack and the Beanstalk and Scouse Dick Whittington (Liverpool's Royal Court), Railway Sleepers (JB Shorts), Home I'm Darling (Frinton Summer Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing/Romeo and Juliet (Folksy Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream (We Are Butterfly), Troll (Pleasance), Peppa Pig's Surprise (Sydney Opera House and Australian tour), Peppa Pig's Big Surprise (UK and Ireland No. 1 tour), Twopence to Cross the Mersey and Her Benny (Liverpool Empire) and Sleeping Beauty (M&S Bank Arena).

She appeared recently alongside John May, playing C'leen Rooney in The Legend of Rooney's Ring.

Emma has also recorded her debut audiobook, Young Love by Suzanne Ewart, now available on Audible, while her TV and film credits include Cilla, Peppa Pig My First Cinema Experience – Daisy Sky, A Night with Kylie Minogue and short film Tricycle.

Jenna Sian O'Hara is well-known to Theatre Royal audiences. Most recently she played Sue in Rita, Sue and Bob Too! at St Helens and on a national tour, while her other theatre credits include Emily in The Salon, the Sequel! (Theatre Royal St Helens), Pearl in RuneSical (Edinburgh Fringe Theatre), Isa in Between the Acts (rehearsed reading, Liverpool Everyman), Winnie in Beyond the Pier and Melanie in Lost Boys (both Unity Theatre) and Sarah in The Salon (Epstein Theatre).

She recently reprised her role as Titania in Electric Dreams at Shakespeare North Playhouse and will appear as Tommi the cat in Dick Whittington at St Helens this Christmas.

Her screen credits include Midas Man, Billy Smith and short film Little Pains.

John O'Gorman's career started at the Everyman Youth Theatre followed by the Liverpool Theatre School. He is best-known for playing series regular Michael ‘Tommo' Tomlinson in Brookside while his other television credits include Coronation Street and Peaky Blinders.

His most notable recent stage work was playing Liverpool-born trade unionist Jim Larkin in Stone on Stone at the Epstein Theatre.

And Sam Jones-Arthur is a Liverpool-based actor working across theatre, film and commercial media. His most recent theatre credits include California Dreaming, Someone You Love and That Girl on TV, as well as northern tours of Lost in the Beat and Warnock.

He also writes for stage and screen and founded the production company SevenBlu3 which focuses on developing original work. Some of Sam's collaborations include Castore, Everton FC, Greene King and DPD.

Night Collar will be directed by Chantelle Joseph.

Regal Entertainments previously staged the comedy favourite at St Helens Theatre Royal in 2010 and 2011.

St Helens Theatre Royal manager and director Chantelle Joseph says: “We've been having a lot of fun bringing Tony Furlong and Jimmy Power's story to life in the rehearsal room and now I can't wait to see it on the Theatre Royal stage. It's a rollercoaster ride, but there are also some heart-warming and unexpectedly poignant moments too.