TAKING on the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ roles Top Hat stars Charlotte Gooch and Alan Burkitt got into character at Beaulieu Manor.

And they were joined by actor John Conroy who play a butler in the show – and in real life has worked as a butler to royalty and Margaret Thatcher!

The actors looked completely at home in Lord Montague’s historic home as they sipped afternoon tea and took a spin in one of the motor museum’s cars – a 1930 Blower Bentley which was “the sports car of its day”.

The multi-Olivier Award-winning show (‘Best New Musical’, ‘Best Choreography’, ‘Best Costume Design’ from its seven nominations) and winner of the Evening Standard Award for ‘Best Night Out’, is back at the Mayflower Theatre until May 23.

Both Charlotte and Alan are returning to their lead roles of Jerry Travers and Dale Tremont which they originally performed in the West End.

The show has been on tour since last August and they are all clearly loving every minute.

Alan said: “It’s great fun. There is so much dancing, singing and acting- it’s a great role to play! It seems to appeal to everyone Lots of men come along thinking this is not my kind of show but they love it – mostly because it is so funny.

“There is dancing from start to finish – lots of big numbers. Of course Fred and Ginger are big shoes to fill but the director has put a twist on it with a cast of 29 you can do a lot with lighting and costumes!”

Charlotte said: “I love classic American dance musicals. I grew up watching Gene Kelly movies and I always adored great dancing. It’s a wonderful show - pure entertainment!

She admits it is physically challenging: ”There‘s a lot of tap and that’s tough on your legs and you have to pace yourself through the show."

Alan added: "For the first 20 minutes you just keep going! Sometimes if you are feeling energetic and you’ve just had a Red Bull you can get carried away and I think gosh I should have paced myself. It is a bit of a marathon but as long as audiences are laughing you feel ok!"

"Yes," said Charlotte: “You can’t have a down day or a tired day because it’s so energetic; you can’t sit on your laurels!”

Alan added: “Charlotte and I met in Cats six years ago. We’ve done a lot of partner shows. Charlotte did Dirty Dancing and I’ve done ‘Moving Out: I tell her we fit together like a pair of old slippers!”

John is lapping up his role: “I play Bates. He is sent by Horace to spy on D to see if she is a woman of respectability or a strumpet. So I take on different guises as a waiter, a gardener and as an ageing thoroughly attractive dowager duchess ...it’s great fun!

How had John managed to work as both an actor and butler to so many important and famous people?

“I’ve always been an actor but I had a second job as a butler. I spent 40 years on and off working as a butler in the city of London.

"I did a hotel management diploma when I left school so that I would have something to fall back on in hard times. A friend had a butler agency and I was mostly employed by banks and financial institutions.

Mrs Thatcher was very polite and very funny. It was a social engagement – Burns night, and she said to me: “Don’t give me too many strawberries or there won’t be enough to go round!”

“The Duke of Kent was a regular visitor at a place I worked at. I would hear things but I had to sign a confidentiality waver.

"Sometimes I would hear things I shouldn’t such as information about mergers of companies. If I’d had money it would have been great but of course I couldn’t do anything as that would show insider dealings.

“I worked at lots of smart lunches where the client wanted the best service with all the Wedgewood china and Waterford crystal, the best of wines and food. But they were there to talk business and were so busy eye-balling each other it all mostly went unnoticed.

"The client would press a discrete buzzer under the table when he wanted something but the idea was for the butler to go unnoticed.

“I suppose the most famous people I worked for were the Duke of Kent, Prime Ministers including Neil Kinnock and Margaret Thatcher, various ministers as well as dignitaries from abroad, but that form of service is probably dying out because people don’t like to seem so showy these days.”

So had he enjoyed working as a butler? John is emphatic in his answer.

“No! It paid the bills, and I got fed nice food and the odd glass of wine.”

  • Tickets: Mayflower Theatre Box Office tel: 02380 711811 or online at mayflower.org.uk.