Looking For Buddy is written by one of the country's most entertaining playwrights, Jarrow born Alan Plater.

Plater is famous for Z Cars, Blonde Bombshells of 1943 and Live Theatre favourites Close the Coalhouse Door, Tales from the Backyard and Charlie's Trousers.

The production, which takes to the stage from Thursday, May 7, to Saturday, June 13, is a witty jazz musical set in present day Tyneside with a breathtaking original score created courtesy of critically-acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Alan Barnes, who also worked with Alan on Songs for Unsung Heroes and Seven Ages of Jazz.

Jim Beirne, chief executive of Live Theatre said: "We are delighted to welcome back one of Live Theatre's founder members Tim Healy and long term associate Alan Plater for what promises to be a wry musical extravaganza.

"This co-production with The Octagon Theatre, Bolton and Live Theatre is a fantastic example of the kind of high quality, captivating theatre being produced by regional theatres."

Audiences will be introduced to a Tyneside about to be transformed forever by the arrival of The Good Earth Corporation and meet a range of engaging characters.

These include Phil, an underemployed architect played by Tim Healy; Frank the Fitter, who once worked in a shipyard and now makes gourmet sandwiches and award-winning paninis; Ella, a beautiful 'bottle blonde' and Fat Jack, a Wallsend club-owner who isn't really fat.

What draws them together is that they are all haunted by the music of Buddy Bolden, the legendary jazz trumpet player from New Orleans whose unique sound was never recorded. Or was it?

Budding detectives will be invited to join Phil as he becomes a Geordie private eye searching for the jazz maestro's missing recordings and witness his clash with smart London developers as they plan to regenerate and vandalise Wallsend.

Looking for Buddy also stars Jayne MacKenzie as Ella (Falling Together, Live Theatre) and Jane Holman as Bella (Lush Life, Twelve Tales of Tyneside and Oh What a Lovely War, Live Theatre).

They will be joined by Phil Corbitt, Jacqueline Boatswain and Nicholas Lumley.

Thirsty theatre-goers will also be able to choose from a selection of regionally themed cocktails to enjoy while they sit back and relax in Live's intimate cabaret theatre including a Whitley Wall Banger, a Seaton Sluice Sling, a Killingworth Killer and a Sunderland Snowball.

Tickets for Looking For Buddy are now on sale and range from £12 to £18.

A series of assisted performances will also take place during the run including a British Sign Language interpreted performance on Wednesday May 20, at 7.30pm, a captioned performance on Thursday, May 28, at 7.30pm and an audio described performance on Thursday, June 4.

For more information about assisted performances please visit Live Theatre's website at www.live.org.uk/access

To purchase tickets please contact Live Theatre's box office on (0191) 232 1232 or book online by visiting the website at www.live.org.uk