ONCE upon a time there was a young teacher called August Darnell. He was very settled in his work and had everything a young man could want. But still he yearned for something more...

And his dream came true as he switched careers and found fame as Kid Creole with his famous Coconuts.

Nowadays the original Coconuts are a memory, but the Kid is back, playing Seventies boogie meister DJ Brutus T Firefly in the lively stage musical, Oh! What A Night.

Brutus is right at the centre of the story -- keeping nightclub owner Paul on the straight and narrow and keeping an eye on Paul's daughter Nikki who falls for a wannabe pop star called Ric.

Kid is looking forward to playing Brutus in Blackpool. "I think I played Blackpool with the Coconuts back in the 80s. It is always a fun place," he said.

"We did our original presentation of Oh! What A Night in Blackpool in 1997. We were so encouraged by the reaction we got we took the show on the road to London and Manchester -- it's been very successful."

He admitted the musical is a vehicle for Seventies music. "Absolutely. No doubt about it!" But there's more to it than that, he pointed out.

"It's not a tribute show. There is an actual story and a plot that you can follow. It's the kind of show where you want to let your hair down and escape with us for two hours."

For Mr D, Oh! What A Night is a happy culmination of all his music and show business experience. "Theatre was my original love so this is a dream come true. This is going back to my roots.

"The 20 years with the band as Kid Creole has prepared me for what I'm doing now because I have all the necessary skills needed to sustain a career."

It's hard to believe this singer, musician and stage performer was once a teacher. "I think it was another person sometimes. It's so far removed, I cannot imagine grading papers now. I say how lucky I am to have seen the world five times over while others have been teaching."

And he still doesn't really know what gave him the strength to switch careers. "I was very young and I had a good paying job. I had everything I needed and all the security one would want at that age," he said.

"I never look back with regret. It's been a wonderful journey."

Oh! What A Night runs at Blackpool Opera House from October 16 - November 3. To book phone (01253) 292029.