Jeffrey Lane says director Almodovar helped him turn Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown into a stage musical

The writer who turned the movie Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown into a stage musical has revealed that the Spanish director Pedro Almodovar talked him through every scene to make it work.

Jeffrey Lane, who wrote TV shows including Cagney And Lacey, said he and fellow writer David Yazbek were thrilled to be getting the chance to re-invent the show, first seen on Broadway four years ago, for London.

Extra time working with the cast, headed by Tamsin Greig and Haydn Gwynne, has generated new songs. Lane has re-written parts such as the character memorably played by model Rossy de Palma in the 1988 film which also starred Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas. “I realised I needed to verbalise her face,” he said.

Lane, who also wrote Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Yazbek, said Almodovar was very supportive. “He took us through the film shot-by-shot, like a live action director’s commentary, so we could see where it comes from in his heart.”

Bartlett Sher, the director, said one interesting challenge for the Americans was translating what their British stars were saying. “We learned that when Tamsin said ‘quite good’ it was not a compliment,” he said.

Greig and Gwynne performed a sneak preview in a showcase at the ICA last night. Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown previews at the Playhouse Theatre from December 20.

On the verge: London cast Seline Hizli as Marisa, Tamsin Greig as Pepa, Haydn Gwynne as Lucia and, seated, Anna Skellern as Candela. The show includes new songs