Diamond night

3:06pm Thursday 29th November 2007

Donna Hazelton is well into her 40s but her career choices are still as girlie as can be. Well, wouldn't yours be if you had only been in showbiz for five minutes?

New Wimbledon Theatre audiences have already seen the Musicality winner in Girls' Night and Checkout Girls and she returns to continue the theme with Girls Behind, alongside Maureen Nolan and Sue "Dinnerladies" Delaney.

"We hit it off immediately," says Hazelton of the trio, who have shared digs throughout this nationwide tour of Louise Roche's comedy.

"We are three strong women but there are no egos or divas in this show. If there is anything we are worried about, we help each other out. I'm incredibly lucky."

It has been three years to the month since Hazelton won Channel Four's Musicality, a programme that some say was the precursor to the TV talent shows that are currently casting the West End. What does she make of the new generation?

"It is a funny thing," she says. "I am all for bringing musical theatre to the forefront. But Musicality was a documentary. These shows have turned the process into a reality show, with the public involved in voting. The business is tough enough as it is. Now it feels like a cattle market. We are playing with these young people's dreams and, to me, that seems dangerous and unfair."

Hazelton is quick to point out Girls Behind is not a sequel to Girls' Night, even if there is just one letter's difference between her characters Lois and Lisa.

"The format is similar but it is a completely different show," she stresses. "It is about three friends who have gone to school together and now sing as a trio calling themselves the Diamonds.

"It is what Louise does well, writing for the mature woman. But the things they talk about apply to anyone, even men."

With just three weeks to go, Hazelton is looking forward to spending Christmas at home in Leven - a small Scottish town on the Fife Riviera - with her son and daughter, who are 17 and 21 and very good at looking after their mum.

One thing's for sure, Hazelton will never forget her local am dram roots.

She says: "It gave me a huge amount of confidence and, had I not done it, I don't think I would have got where I am. Am dram is a fantastic grounding for the profession. So no, I will never allow anyone to pooh-pooh it."

Girls Behind, New Wimbledon Theatre, The Broadway, Wimbledon, November 27 to December 1, Tues-Thurs 7.30pm, Fri 5.30pm/8pm, Sat 5pm/8pm, £9-£24, call 0870 060 6646, visit newwimbledontheatre.co.uk

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