Bruno Langley had to fight for attention in his family and an actor was born.

“I think sometimes that I just like showing off,” says the former Coronation Street soap star, en route to York to play a bad lad in the world premiere of a new stage musical version of Flashdance.

“I come from a big family, I've got seven brothers and sisters…”

Italian blood, Bruno? Or Roman Catholic? “No, my parents are Australian and they just wanted a big family.

“I’m the sixth-born, I’ve got two sisters below me, so I guess my acting was a progression of wanting to get noticed – I was a real pain to them!” says Bruno, who was raised in Norfolk and Buxton, Derbyshire, before attending the (now closed) North Cheshire Theatre College in Stockport.

“It was the kind of college where you didn’t get any qualifications, but it was all practical work for two years, and the aim was to do a showcase and get yourself an agent, and even before the course was up I’d got myself one!”

Not only that, in 2001, at the age of only 18, he joined the cast of Coronation Street in the role of Todd Grimshaw, who went on to acquire his place in soap history as Corrie's first openly gay character.

Bruno took that plot development in his stride. “They just said, ‘Do you want to do it?’, and it felt a bit strange as it was such a huge profile thing, but I felt that if you’re going to be high-profile in this profession, you have to do things like this, and I had no qualms about taking on that aspect of the role.”

Bruno left the series initially in 2004 and, while he returned for 12 episodes in a new storyline in 2007, he had his eye on other challenges, whether appearing in Doctor Who as Adam Mitchell in 2005 or playing roles on stage in Romeo And Juliet, Night Sky and A Taste Of Honey.

“Initially I saw Coronation Street as a chance to be famous, and it came along when I was still very young, but now I realise I don’t need fame,” says the 25-year-old actor.

“I don’t need people coming up to me, that side of it. I guess I came through it, but it’s just part of the job. These days it doesn’t get in the way, though it used to, so I tend to try to not think about it…but it was fun while I was doing Coronation Street.”

He left soapland to spread his wings, inspired by a desire to follow his screen heroes, Oliver Reed, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro – “men at the top of their game”.

“I just told them I wanted to learn,” says Bruno, recalling his exit from Corrie. “I was a bit bored – I’m easily bored and I have bigger aspirations, like doing movies, though that’s not progressing very fast at the moment. But there’s always the opportunity to try to get into a pilot show.”

The year-long tour of Flashdance – The Musical, which began in June, represents an unexpected turn of events for Bruno.

“You have a chat with your agent and tell him what direction you want go in and work out what route you might take and how to do it. But with something like this show, the part came along, I wasn’t working at the time, and though I haven't trained in musicals I’ve always sung,” he says.

“Acting comes naturally to me and singing is not hard for me, and I just want to have fun!”

Bruno auditioned for the principal role of Nick, the part that went instead to former HearSay singer Noel Sullivan, but he is more than happy to be playing Jimmy in Tom Hedley’s musical story of dreams and love against the odds in Pittsburgh, USA. “Jimmy is a bit of a rascal, 18 years old and wearing a hoodie; he’s been inside for stealing, and he has a drug problem as well – he’s a nice young man!

“He’s done a year in a juvenile facility and just been released, and he doesn’t think anyone is going to give him a chance, so he takes his own chance, which basically means doing another robbery!” says Bruno.

“It’s a feel-good show, but my character doesn’t feel good in any way and it doesn’t end well for him, but that’s the most interesting character to play, because there are more layers to a bad lad.”

Based on the 1983 Paramount Picture film, Flashdance – The Musical retains the 1980s setting and now complements such numbers as Maniac, Manhunt and Flashdance – What A Feeling with ten original songs created for the musical.

Audiences are entering into the spirit by dressing in 1980s fluorescent dance gear. Bruno, a son of that decade with strong memories of Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper and Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, finds himself in a show full of dancing, even if dancing is not his forte.

What’s more, the dancing is choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips. “I don’t do much dancing in the show,” says Bruno. “But we’re quite good friends, because if Arlene tried to make me dance, we wouldn’t be good friends!”

* Flashdance – The Musical, starring Bruno Langley, Bernie Nolan, Noel Sullivan and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, runs at Grand Opera House, York, from October 13 to 18; performances at 7.30pm, Monday to Thursday, 5pm and 8.30pm, next Friday and Saturday. Tickets: £15 to £32.50 on 0844 847 2322 or www.grandoperahouse.co.uk

© The Press, 10/10/08

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