Coronation Street's Nigel Pivaro heaped praise on Liverpool as his new stage show arrived in the city last night.
The 63-year-old is renowned for his role as Terry Duckworth on the Cobbles. He stepped away from acting to pursue a career as a journalist but has been lured back to the stage to star in The Commitments, which is on at the Liverpool Empire until April 22.
The hit musical is based on Roddy Doyle's bestselling novel and revolves around working-class Jimmy’s bid to transform a bunch of amateur musicians into Dublin’s finest-ever soul band. Nigel plays Da in the acclaimed show and admitted there was some "healthy nerves" ahead of his first theatre role in almost 20 years.
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He told the ECHO: "The adrenaline and butterflies all came back but I've been used to them over my career, whether that's been the lights in the studio or about to go on stage in front of 3,000 people at the Empire. They're the nerves that say 'you care about this. If you didn't care, you wouldn't have the nerves and you'd just go on and telephone it in."
The acclaimed musical features over 20 soul classics and has wowed audiences up and down the country. Nigel said he was excited to perform the show in front of a lively Liverpool audience that is always "up for it".
The soap star hails from Manchester and laughed as he boldly shared his love for Liverpool. He said: "It's almost sacrilege coming out of the mouth of a Mancunian but it's one of my favourite cities is Liverpool." He added: "I've got some of my family that live in Liverpool so it's almost home from home. I've got a lot of friends in Liverpool and we've had some mad nights over the years."
Nigel's love for the city started when he used to visit for a day out with his grandparents. He added: "I was absolutely mesmerised that all the buildings in the city were white. All the buildings in Manchester in those days were completely black because of the soot and the pollution.
"Because Liverpool is right on the coast the wind blew that away and I just thought that was wonderful. I always that it was architecturally and aesthetically a very interesting city."
Nigel has also forged a successful career as a journalist and travelled to Ukraine to cover the Russian invasion in 2014. He admitted he has considered a return to the front line to cover the crisis once the stage tour has finished.
He said: "If it wasn't for this play, I'd probably be back there. I've got a lot of friends there and a lot of contacts. However, I'd have to give it some sensible thought because I'm eight years older and not as sprightly as I used to be."
Nigel established himself as one of Corrie's most legendary figures as he played Jack and Vera Duckworth's son across several stints on Weatherfield from 1983 - 2012. However, he told the ECHO he does not envisage a return to the Cobbles anytime soon despite his return to acting.
He said: "Never say never. the only thing is I think the show has become a different beast. and I don't know if there's a place for a character like Terry, but if the offer was made I'd certainly consider it."
The Commitments visits Liverpool Empire from 17-22 April. Tickets are available at thecommitmentsontour.co.uk
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