A FORMER RGS Worcester pupil has been earning rave reviews for his professional acting debut.

Joe Vetch, who left RGS in 2009, stepped out on stage in the title role of Jack and the Beanstalk at the City Varieties Music Hall in Leeds, following a year spent at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

The accomplished musician and singer won the plum role for the 60-performance run and another job on the same day to get his new career off to a flying start.

Mr Vetch said: “I thought panto would be a simple way to start my professional career, but a West End show does eight per week, we do 12, and you end up spending most of your time either on stage or looking after yourself for the next one.

He added: “Another thing I thought would happen is that it would get easier through the run. You do become more efficient on stage and discover what works and what doesn’t, but rest has been sparse, so it mounts up and you need to be more switched on than ever to make the show happen when you're tired.

"An audience can tell an actor flagging in energy from a mile off.”

The Stage entertainment industry newspaper described him as "highly skilled" and then the runs ends he will feature in the UK tour of Threepenny Opera which is a musical by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht featuring the song Mack the Knife.