ONE member of the audience at a Gwent musical theatre group's new production will have flown thousands of miles to watch it.

American lyricist Bill Russell will be jetting in from the USA to see the WAWWA Musical Theatre Company's production of his acclaimed Broadway musical, Side Show - the first time it has been staged in Wales.

The musical about conjoined twins in the 1930s opens at the Dolman Theatre, Newport, this week - and the Cwmbran-based company has been given special licence by the rights holders to perform it.

WAWWA founder and director Jay Coleman explained how a surprise phone call after a recent production gave him the chance to fulfil a ten-year ambition.

"We had just finished doing Godspell at the Dolman last September," said Mr Coleman, 37, an estate agent in Pontypool.

"A day later we got a call from an agent of Samuel French in London - unbeknown to us, she had been in the audience.

"At first I thought she was calling because we had done something wrong, but then she said they were looking for a company to produce Side Show. "Because she was so impressed by our Godspell she offered us the right to perform it!"

Mr Coleman and 23-year-old musical director Vicci Smith were in regular contact with Mr Russell, who had overseen the show's Broadway production of 1997/98.

"Bill gave us advice on how to stage it whenever we asked him," said Mr Coleman.

"He said he hadn't been to see the show 'this side of the pond', so he's coming to Newport on Saturday."

A cast of 28 youngsters have been working on their routines and practising their singing for the last three months and are now up to "West End standard", according to Mr Coleman.

"Everyone's buzzing - this is the most important show I've ever done," he added.

"Newport won't have seen anything like it!"

Side Show is based on the true story of twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, who were joined at the hip and paraded around the United States in the 1930s as a freak show.

To book tickets call 01633 866238 or visit www.wawwa.co.uk. Side Show is playing at the Dolman Theatre from March 1 to 4 at 7.30pm.