It took a few sips of tequila at Daylesford, the Bermuda Musical & Dramatic Society?s headquarters, during a relaxed summer evening last year to convince Keith Madeiros to direct Richard Harris? comedy, ?Stepping Out?, but with the curtain about to go up on the show next week, he has no regrets.

?The play is hysterically funny, and definitely something that I personally have never seen here: an ensemble cast of people who are not only actors but tap dancers as well,? he says.

?I am very pleased with them, and the amount of talent we have in the show. In fact, it was very hard to make the final decisions because I didn?t realise how many talented people were out there who could both act and tap dance.?

No stranger to Bermuda?s theatre scene, Mr. Madeiros has directed, appeared on stage, and worked backstage. His directing credits include ?The Little Shop of Horrors?, ?Company?, and ?A Month of Sundays?, and he has performed in ?Chicago? and ?Noises Off?.

? ?Stepping Out? is a lively, fun show which has brought together a great group of people, and Barbara Frith has done a wonderful job on the choreography,? Mr. Madeiros says.

?She is a wonderful teacher, and I couldn?t have done it without her.?

The play won London newspaper, the Evening Standard?s, Best Comedy Award in 1986.

It is an upbeat saga of a tap dance class where all of the participants get a chance to bare their souls and strut their stuff.

Mavis (played by Jacqui Riordan) is an ex-chorus girl whose personal life is a mess, but who really loves to teach.

She inspires her amateur class, and they reward her with school-style spirit and a touching concern for each other?s welfare. They are in the class just for the fun of it.

Then there is Andy (played by Val Butterfield-Wallbank), a professional?s wife who devotes herself to good causes; as well as Dorothy (Dee Edmunds) who has the ability to be a good dancer if only she could get in sync; Lynne (Shannon Totten), a nurse who sees dancing as a way to relieve stress and leave responsibility behind; Rose (Tanya Weller), whose husband and children are rooting for her to perfect her moves and succeed; Maxine (Fran Tucker) is the well-off glamour queen; Silvia (Ingrid Pucci) who has five children and an unemployed, blue-collar husband who does odd jobs that pay him under the table; and Vera (Penny Cox) who is in fine shape because her wealthy husband insists on it even though he neglects her for their teenaged daughter.

The lone male in the group is widower Geoffrey (played by Richard Fell) taking lessons because it reminds him of his late wife, who loved to dance.

Mrs. Fraser (Kate Ross), who pounds out the piano accompaniment for the practise routine, both supports and hinders the group, and is seen as a substitute mother.

The show is like a soap opera, with everyone trying to help everyone else, or interfering ? just as in real life. The tap dancing group practises on a regular basis but doesn?t seem to get any better, and it is not until they are asked to perform at a big charity show that they ?put their best foot forward? and come together as a group, thus allowing ?Stepping Out? to climax with a big, glitzy performance.

?All of the cast are on stage all of the time, and they all have things to do, but if there is a lead it is Mavis, played by Jacqui Riordan,? Mr. Madeiros says.

?The funny parts are when the actors are trying to adapt. The characters are, well, ?characters?. ?Stepping Out? is well written and very clever, and a combination of physical and repartee comedy.?

Others involved in the production are: Adrienne Hintz (producer), Sue Bendell (set design); husband and wife team Jeane and Than Butterfield (stage manager/lighting design, respectively).

Performances will take place at Daylesford Theatre from Monday, April 26 through Saturday, May 1 with evening performances beginning at 8 p.m. There will also be a 3 p.m. matinee on May 1. Tickets are $20. For box office details see the Bermuda Calendar.