WEST End star Jodie Prenger swapped the stage for the box office yesterday.

She spent the day selling tickets for her upcoming show, Abigail’s Party, which opens at Brighton’s Theatre Royal in January.

Jodie is best known for her role of Nancy in Oliver! at Drury Lane’s Theatre Royal, which followed her victory in BBC TV series I’d Do Anything.

She greeted customers yesterday with cheese and pineapple on sticks, an appropriate 1970s’ style party favourite to promote her appearance in Abigail’s Party.

Jodie plays Beverly in Mike Leigh’s satire, the role made famous by Alison Steadman.

Jodie joined the Theatre Royal box office team to sell tickets not just for Abigail’s Party but for all the shows on at the theatre.

She said: “I think I was doing a great job.

“I think I missed a vocation in life.

“I just called my agent, it’s already on my CV.

“One of the guys, Nigel, came in to buy a ticket and he had played Laurence in the show in Haywards Heath years ago.

“He came in for tickets for something else and we told him it was on and then he got tickets for it.”

Jodie said it was the interaction with people that she most enjoyed from her time in the box office.

She said: “The one thing you don’t often get to do is to speak to the people coming to see you.

“That’s where you can slip them a fiver so they cheer for you extra loud at the show.”

Jodie will be joined in the play by Daniel Casey, of Midsomer Murders fame.

He plays her husband Laurence.

The dark comedy is a satire on the aspirations and tastes of Britain’s rising middle classes in the 1970s.

Jodie said of the show: “Abigail’s Party is a true British classic and a real bucket list part for me.

“I’m thrilled to be involved in something so wonderful.”

Abigail’s Party tickets are on sale now.

The show comes to Theatre

Royal, Brighton, from January 10 to 19.