MEERA Sayal’s poignant coming-of-age story Anita And Me is being staged at Bradford Alhambra this month.

The play has been adapted by multi award-winning Tanika Gupta from the much-loved book by the writer of TV comedies Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars At No 42.

The play, staged on March 21 to 25, stars actress Shobna Gulati from Coronation Street and Dinnerladies.

The professional company will perform alongside eight actors drawn from the local community.

Anita And Me tells the tale of Meena, a young girl growing up in the only Punjabi family in a 1970s Black Country mining village.

Meena spends her days happily getting into scrapes with the other local children until one day the impossibly cool Anita enters her life.

Suddenly, Meena knows exactly who she wants to be but is Anita all that she seems? Soon Meena’s world is turned upside down as she is caught between two very different cultures.

Anita And Me is said to paint a comic, poignant, compassionate and colourful portrait of village life in the era of flares, power cuts, glam rock, decimalisation and Ted Heath.

The Full Monty, Simon Beaufoy’s stage adaptation from his own movie, is at the Alhambra from March 13 to 18. The story concerns six out-of-work steelworkers, who turn to stripping to make some money, with hilarious consequences.

The show, which has been getting standing ovations every night during its tour, features songs from the original film by the likes of Donna Summer, Hot Chocolate and Tom Jones.

The cast includes Gary Lucy, Andrew Dunn, Louis Emerick, Chris Fountain, Anthony Lewis and Kai Owen.

And Michael Flatley presents Lord Of The Dance Dangerous Games from March 7 to 12 at the Alhambra.

Visit bradford-theatres.co.uk or call 01274 432000 to book tickets.