Fiddler McGann says the show must go on

He's been out of action following an on-stage accident, but Joe McGann tells Maria Cusine he hopes to be back in the spotlight when Fiddler on the Roof arrives in Wolverhampton

"Break a leg" and "the show must go on" have to be two of the most well-known sayings in theatre.

The first phrase means good luck while the second cliche implies that regardless of what happens, such as the lead performer breaking a leg, the show must still be put on for the waiting audience.

But actor Joe McGann did not have much luck when he slipped on stage while taking on the lead role in the timeless musical Fiddler on the Roof.

He didn't break a leg, but he did injure his arm. So much so, that the Liverpudlian actor has been out of action for three weeks - and out of the show.

But, with Wolverhampton the next date on the nationwide tour, the 50-year-old says he is "keeping everything crossed" that he'll be fit to return to the show when it arrives at the city's Grand Theatre next week.

"I had an on-stage accident when we were in Glasgow around three weeks ago," the actor says.

"I was dancing and I slipped over and ended up breaking my elbow."

Joe, one of four acting McGann brothers, had hoped to return to the stage earlier this week when the tour arrived in Cardiff, but was told by doctors he was not ready to return.

"I've been having a lot of physio and taking advice from doctors, but I have to take it one day at a time," he says. "What's happened has happened and it's very frustrating but I am trying to keep positive. I hope that I'll be ready to get back on the stage in Wolverhampton, I really do."

In Fiddler on the Roof, Joe takes on the lead role of put-upon Tevye, the man who dreams of riches, respect and a quiet life.

He plays the philosophical dairyman who does his best to preserve tradition in the face of an ever-changing world, while dealing with the whims of his daughters' love-lives in a Jewish village in Russia.

The musical is blessed with a rousing score of memorable melodies including Matchmaker Matchmaker, Sunrise Sunset, Tradition and, of course, the classic If I Were a Rich Man.

The actor has been in the show since February, but admits he was not a fan of the famous old musical - which was made into an Oscar winning film in 1971 - before joining the production, but has since come to love it - especially for its "gallows humour".

"I thought the film was high on message but low on entertainment, ie low on laughs," he says.

"And growing up in the 60s and 70s in Liverpool I didn't really want to hear those sort of songs about if I were a rich man.

"The film didn't attract me, but once I read the script for the stage musical I was a complete convert," he admits.

"I'd never realised just how funny it is. It was actually originally written for Danny Kaye and there's so much humour in it.

"It's a bit like Irish or Liverpudlian humour because it is partly laughing at yourself. It has a black gallows humour, laughing in the face of adversity, and that was really a big attraction for me."

Joe is the eldest of the McGann brothers and Paul, Mark and Stephen have all had their successes, both on stage and on television. And the four co-produced and starred in The Hanging Gale, a BBC drama set in the Irish potato faminine.

But it was his role of Charlie Burrows in the long-running sitcom The Upper Hand that brought Joe to the nation's attention. The TV show ran for six years and for almost 100 episodes.

"It was a great job and apparently the show now has a new younger generation of fans as it's shown on cable TV," he says.

In addition to his TV credits, Joe starred as Nathan Detroit in the UK tour of Guys & Dolls, and most recently as one of the three Magi in the BBC's Liverpool Nativity, a modern musical version of the Christmas story. "I've embraced every opportunity that's come my way," he says.

"I love doing what I do and I certainly have no plans to retire. I'd hope to be like Tommy Cooper and die in harness. To have them drag my boots under the velvet curtain would suit me fine," he says.

But in the meantime, he's more bothered about being on top form and return to the stage when the show arrives in Wolverhampton on Monday.

Joe's understudy Martin Callaghan has been in the lead role since Joe's accident.

"Martin's not just an understudy, he also has a big part in the show. He's been very, very good taking on Tevye, but I really do hope to return as soon as possible as we only have a few weeks left of the tour.

"I'm keeping everything crossed and hope to be there in Wolverhampton," he says.

l Fiddler on the Roof runs from Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturdays at 2.30pm. Tickets, priced £7.50-£31.50, can be purchased from (01902) 429212 or on-line at www.grandtheatre.co.uk