For most actors, learning lines is the toughest part of the rehearsal process. For the cast of The Front Page, scripts are the least of it.

As well as memorising pages of dialogue, they have to remember the meaning of obscure phrases.

This classic comedy of newspaper life was written in 1928 and is peppered with old-fashioned American slang.

Director Douglas Wager refused to pollute Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's original script with modernisations so wrote an in-depth glossary instead.

Brighton-based actress Carol Cleveland is currently wading through the directory of definitions.

Despite the extra homework, the former Monty Python girl says she's enjoying her encounter with the now-extinct language.

"I bet you didn't know that 'catch the fudge' is an old-fashioned newspaper term meaning to file a late report.

"The fudge was a space on the front page being kept open for a last-minute story. 'Pop bottle' meant jewellery - don't ask me why.

"One of my favourite phrases is 'stand the gas'. These days we'd say 'take the heat'. I also like 'lead in the pants', which means 'move very slowly'."

But one phrase Carol is familiar with is 'eskimo pie'.

"I was born in England but grew up in America. Of course I wasn't around in the Twenties when this play was written," she giggles, "but I do remember this word from the Fifties. It's an ice-cream bar covered in chocolate."

Carol, whose voice still betrays a soft American accent, plays Mrs Schlosser, one of the few female characters in this play.

"It's a man's play. There are 20 characters but only five of them are women. Every character is brilliantly written. Although my character isn't at the heart of the drama, she still leaps out and grabs the audience's attention."

At the centre of the action is Hildy Johnson (Adrian Lukis), a star reporter on Chicago newspaper the Herald And Examiner.

Johnson kick-starts the drama when he informs his charming but unscrupulous editor Walter Burns (Michael Pennington) that he is giving up journalism to lead a peaceful married life.

Distraught at the thought of losing his favourite hack, Burns tries every underhand trick to prevent him from leaving.

The ace up Burns' sleeve is a late-breaking story about the execution of a young anarchist found guilty of shooting a policeman. Johnson is torn between the love of his fiancee and the pursuit of a front-page exclusive. But when the young convict escapes, even love can't stop Johnson chasing the scoop.

The Front Page was the inspiration behind the Forties film His Girl Friday, starring Cary Grant and Billy Wilder's 1974 classic The Front Page with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon.

The play will open the 40th anniversary season at Chichester Festival Theatre.

Tickets cost between £7 and £30. Call the box office on 01243 781312.