HIGH-flying Wyre Forest thespians are gearing up for what they believe will be the world premiere of top British playwright John Godber's latest comedy Fly Me to the Moon.

The Rose Theatre's resident company, The Nonentities, will perform the white-knuckle ride of fear and humour from Monday until Saturday, October 18.

And no-one can accuse them of not researching their subject thoroughly - five of the group's members attended workshops with the play's creator and grilled him on any anomalies in his script and the stagecraft he envisaged for his play.

Nonentities' spokeswoman Pat Taft said their understanding of the comedy, which charts the consequences of a woman's decision to enrol herself and her flying-phobic husband on a fear of flying course, had benefited considerably from the workshops.

"We were delighted to learn that John Godber himself is 'not absolutely happy' in a plane and that nearly all of the characters in the play are based on his own observations of people on a 'Fly with Confidence' course," she said.

"His verbal description of the course was hilarious but also showed the absolute paralysing fear that envelops anyone with such a phobia." She said Godber was concerned the actors were as real as possible and described his frequent use of "freeze framing" as a cinematic technique to build up tension and move the play on and added she hoped they had achieved this.

Fly Me to the Moon was released for performance by amateur dramatic groups on September 1.

Other works by the playwright, who won the Laurence Olivier Comedy of the Year in 1984, include On the Piste, April in Paris and Bouncers. His screenplay My Kingdom for a Horse, starring Sean Bean, was also nominated for an alternative BAFTA, while his television work includes Crown Court, Grange Hill and Brookside.

More information and tickets for the play, which will be performed in the Rose's main house, can be obtained by calling 01562 743745.