BURNLEY Garrick Club opens its new season by hitching up with Coronation Street scriptwriter Jimmie Chinn and staging his bitter-sweet gem, Sylvia's Wedding, starting tomorrow.

Playwright Jimmie has penned more than 20 plays, including Straight and Narrow, a West End hit for Nicholas Lyndhurst, and he also regularly contributes to top soap Emmerdale.

Syvia's Wedding tells the story of the working class Lomax family and the pompous Broadbents, thrown into turmoil by Gordon Broadhurst's proposal to Sylvia -- after 10 years of courting.

Against all the odds the warring families co-operate in the wedding preparations and nuptial bliss looks assured. But then fate intervenes.

The spirited comedy of the early scenes gives way to bitter irony and poignant emotion, all captured with Jiimmie Chinn's customary wit, humanity and acute observation.

Director Mark Storton has gathered an experienced cast, along with a couple of new faces. to start the Garrick's 2001--2002 season. Joyce and Vic Lomax are played by Kathleen Riley and Martin Chadwick, with Lynne Atkinson and Bill Walker as the Broadbents.

The 'bride and groom' are Anne Allen -- better known to Pendle audiences as an actress with the St John Southworth Theatre Group -- who is making her debut for the Garrick, and Steve Grist, who retuns after his first role in Dead Guilty last season. The cast is completed by Patricia Hudson as Yvonne.

The setting for Sylvia's Wedding is the whole of the ground floor of Joyce and Vic's house, including the garden, and should present a wonderful opportunity for the Garrick's award-winning design and construction team.

Sylvia's Wedding runs until Saturday at Burnley Mechanics Theatre. Tickets £4.50 tomorrow and Thursday and £5 on Friday and Saturday. Season tickets for the six-play cycle cost just £20 from Martin Chadwick on 01282 439997.