DENISE Nolan was in a bit of a frenzy when I spoke to her last week.

Her sister Linda, who is currently Mrs Johnstone in the West End production of Blood Brothers, has been struck down with laryngitis.

"I'm having to step in," says Denise, who will play the same part at Wycombe Swan this month.

"I'm really nervous. I'm in the middle of rehearsals for the tour, and it is quite different from the West End production."

The smash hit musical Blood Brothers is touring Britain again, and Denise is stepping into the starring role, after enjoying success as Mrs Johnstone during a run in the West End in 2000 and on tour last year.

Blood Brothers has been very much a family affair. Three of the famous four Nolan sisters have played Mrs Johnstone the mother 'with a stone in place of a heart'. Bernie, Linda and Denise have all played the starring role penned by Willy Russell on tour and in the West End. Only Coleen is waiting in the wings to put on the apron.

For Denise, Blood Brothers was her first break into large scale musicals.

"Before Blood Brothers I had dabbled in small productions. Then Bernie went to the audition for Blood Brothers and got it," explains Denise. "Then Linda auditioned for it afterwards as well."

Denise, the second oldest in the family, along with her three sisters were weaned on chalk dust and singing for a living. At the age of eleven she joined her mum and dad, Maureen and Tommy Nolan, and sang in the family group all over the world.

She recalls: "I wanted to sing from a very young age, so I was the first to go in with my parents.

"It was better for them than getting a baby-sitter," she jokes.

The Nolans were so successful that they were asked to join the late Frank Sinatra on his 1975 European tour and this catapulted their careers.

"It's an understatement to say it was a dream come true to work with Frank," gushes Denise. "We first met him in Paris and I was totally tongue-tied.

"It's like meeting your ultimate idol and thinking of all these things you want to say, but it doesn't come out.

"He was really nice to us and laid on a white limousine for us to travel about in. He said: 'We can't have you travelling around with all those musicians,'" says Denise in an American accent.

So did Frank live up to his tempestuous reputation, and did all the documentaries surrounding his death match the man himself?

"One television show seemed to gloss over the good and concentrate on the bad. I was on the verge of tears," says Denise.

"He had a lot of 'yes' men around him, but he really was a lovely man and it was the highlight of my career."

Denise's ability to adapt to various singing styles has meant that she has shared the mike with everyone from Gladys Knight to Gene Pitney, and even Cliff Richard.

With three sisters you would expect a little bit of bitchiness in the family, but Denise says there is never any jealousy.

She explains: "Obviously if any of us go for the same job there's a bit of rivalry, but that's as far as it goes."

"We are actually all much closer now than we were when we were all working together. We all still get together as often as we can."

With husbands and children the Nolan family has grown in size.

"All 25 of us have been on holiday to Florida, we have done that twice now."

The Seventies super group has always been labelled squeaky clean by the press, but Denise says that is just because they keep their private lives separate.

She says: "I'm the squeaky cleanest of us, all my sisters don't even swear when they are around me. We are known as squeaky clean because we don't brag about our private lives.

"When Shane and Coleen broke up, she didn't do 'one of those stories' about it, because it's private.

"The press just give you that tag if they cannot find out anything about you."

The original Nolans Linda, Bernie, Denise and Coleen continue to carve out impressive solo careers away from the group.

Linda is continuing with Blood Brothers in the West End, Bernie plays hairdresser Diane Murray in hit CH4 soap Brookside and Coleen is a successful daytime TV presenter.

Denise says she would like to try her hand at both these jobs.

"If I was offered a part in Coronation Street it would be hard to turn it down because I'm a big fan," explains Denise. "But I'm a singer first and I love what I do.

"I wouldn't mind trying TV presenting, but Coleen took a lot of stick when she started This Morning, it is hard. Some down-market tabloid started commenting on her weight, it was disgusting.

"You don't mind constructive criticism, but when it's destructive it's not necessary."

Blood Brothers is at Wycombe Swan from February 19 to 23. For tickets call 01494 512000

February 15, 2002 10:30