BWW Interviews: Olivier Nominee Michael Xavier, Talking WONDERFUL TOWN

It's very rare that you see a touring production as large and as lavish as the current UK tour of Wonderful Town.

"It's great!" says Michael Xavier, who plays the male lead Bob Baker. "There's nothing worse than seeing a West End show that's just been scaled down for touring venues."

Wonderful Town began its life in Manchester with the Halle Orchestra as its resident band, which must have been a treat for the company.

"It was fantastic working with the Halle - a great honour, and to be under the baton of Sir Mark Elder was amazing, he's so positive and lovely."

He's also very enthusiastic about the rest of the cast.

"Connie [Connie Fisher] is fantastic, but the whole company is brilliant. When I saw the cast list, I knew a lot of people - they're all seasoned pros."

Xavier's probably best known to the musical theatre world as Oliver in Love Story, which had a rather short West End run last year, but he doesn't feel that he has unfinished business with that role.

"It was a short and sweet run. If a show runs and you do it for months and months, you end up wondering if you're quite as fresh. People still talk about Love Story, but I think doing it for any longer - going in and crying every night - would have taken its toll. I hadn't realised how hard it was until after we'd finished. It was a shame that it closed so early but I have fond memories."

For the time being, Xavier's happy to enjoy his time on the road. "I've never done a week-by-week tour before! It's different, and it's interesting. I like to mix things up and do different things with my career - and this is great."

Wonderful Town is on tour around the UK.