The "third" Pet Shop Boy on this project is the show's writer, Jonathan Harvey. Hardly the unlikeliest of teaming when you think about it, and one that was originally suggested by the BBC'. "They asked us if we wanted to do a musical;' says Tennant, "and they suggested we work with this playwright, Jonathan Harvey. So we trotted off to see Beautiful Thing, which we loved. And we thought Boom-Bang-A-Bang was just fabulous. In 1996 we started working on it seriously in this house we'd rented. We started doing that in the 9Os we realized it was cheaper to rent a house and put your own studio in it than hire a recording studio in London!'

So. A world-famous playwright, a sardonic pop-vocalist and a sulky technological genius tucked away in a rural pile.' it's hard to visualise quite how that Collaborative process would work. I think the public perception of the boys is very much that Chris stands in the background, twiddling around with a few knobs," smiles Jonathan Harvey and Neil’s the clever one And yes, Chris would say That's shit' more readily than we might, but he was very much involved in the stories, and particularly in the development of the characters we'd all created:' For Tennant, there were also broader issues to cover: "Such ~ well, why do people sing in a musical? I always remember going to see The Sound Of Music as a kid in Newcastle, and the woman behind me said 'I'd have enjoyed that, if it hadn't been for all them songs: So we decided to choose a musical subject,

Something that would supply music, i.e. something set in a club. Which isn't the most original idea, I suppose, but it's really lent itself well to our kind of music:'

The musical is being produced, bizarrely enough, by Andrew Lloyd-Webber's Really Useful Group. Bizarre, in that Neil Tennant once penned the line (in The Theatre, an album track from their 1993 release, Very, viewing the Shaftsbury Avenue other world through the eyes of a homeless man) '1 was Only hoping for a little cash from a patron of the arts, or at least The Phantom Of The Opera". Gentle it may have been, but it was definitely a pop at the James Last of the stage- musical. Well, err..." Neil Tennant is either genuinely flummoxed, or frantically policing his mind's output before it reaches his mouth. 'Actually I'd forgotten about that:' he chuckles. "I like that line. But I'm sure Andrew's a) never heard that, and b) wouldn't care anyway.

We've only met him once, but he has a very good sense of humour:’ Closer To Heaven, then, is the story of a young man, Straight Dave, arriving in London from Belfast, his subsequent induction into the giddy world of club-culture and all that goes with it. And if you’re thinking the title holds a clue as to the setting, well guess again. 'It's slightly embarrassing that it's actually got nothing to do with Heaven the nightclub:' frowns Tennant. "The title just seemed to tie in with a lot of the themes, where the boy comes from Ireland, the explores his sexuality, he's very ambitious, he falls In love, he takes drugs, and all of those things are different ways of trying to find heaven if you like. And at end of the show he's learned a lot - and he's closer to heaven, but still far away."

The club we see onstage, it transpires is a elasticised venue: the kind of club Tennant would Ike to exist, but which no longer really does. "We've urinated a club where people go and dress up in the most amazing way, and as well as the music there's a certain element of cabaret to it. I think really it's inspired by Kinky Gerlinky. We used to go there a lot in the late 80s, so we sort of based it a little on that." Straight Dave is played by the absurdly gorgeous Paul Keating, who Metrosexuality viewers will recall as the floppy-haired Keanu-look-a-like, Dean Gittar. Now sporting a buzz-cut and boasting muscle groups they haven't got names for yet, he's impossibly excited by his role: "Dave's a young boy, and from a very young age he's been put on a pedestal and told he's something special. he knows he's going places, and everyone around him keeps pumping up his ego, telling him he's the best thing since sliced bread. There's a love-triangle, too..."

"What I love about it:' he summarises, "is that it couldn't be further removed from your archetypal musical - the fact that it's doing something new, never been done before. And the music is just

Phenomenal People who are used to the usual musicals that get churned out, Les Miserable, Miss Saigon, tined-and-tested formulas, are going to be so shocked, because this is just not like that. If you come with an open mind you can't help but be amazed by it. And you won't stay in your seat, either. You can't:' and while Paul's eyes-a-popping happy to be on board, it's an opportunity that could very easily have been missed.

Before this came along, I'd just been doing a show called La Cava, and I was desperate not to do another musical, because I hated it... Oh hang on;' he grins, "I can't say that, can I? Well, let's just say it wasn't a satisfying experience:' he giggles.Just wanted to do an acting job next, then the choreographer for this called my agent and, well, you'd be mad to say No' to working with these people:' Talk turns, inevitably, to Metro sexuality, Paul's first real experience of The Bad Review: '~The papers slaughtered that, didn't they?" he frowns. 'I knew when we did it there would be a lot of people who were going to pan it, simply because we were doing something new and brave. I think the gay community so wanted it to be another Queer As Folk, but that was never the intention. We were trying to do something that was fun, light, almost comic-book-like.

A bit of escapism, where there were gay characters, disabled characters, but where these things were simply not an issue. Which is what all television should be like:' For now, he's less worried by critics than his own nerves. Which - given how incredibly confident he seems right now - comes as something of a surprise. "You're kidding, aren't you? Of course I'm nervous. On this more than anything. I'm doing something I've never done before - dancing on stage. And then there's the Northern Ireland accent to worry about. I've been sweating over this, believe me:' As far as the music goes, there are fifteen Pet Shop Boys compositions in the show, some already familiar, but for the most part previously unheard. And not a show-tune cliché to be had anywhere: "The original idea behind the musical," explains Tennant, "was to put contemporary music into contemporary theatre.

Nowadays, musicals in the main tend to have, well, the kind of music you have in a musical: a mixture of traditional music-hall and Jesus Christ Superstar We wanted to do something that had contemporary pop music in and see if it was possible to do it:'

PSB fans will welcome the inclusion here of Shameless, possibly the most gleefully scabrous pop-song ever to have minor-celebrities wondering if it's about them, and previously tucked away as the B-side to Go West "Shameless is fabulous;' confirms Harvey. "The chorus in the musical is a disparate bunch called the \he Celebrities, these awful people who are just desperate to

Be famous. it's a scene in the Met Bar and there's an It girl, a gay politician, a camp footballer; all these different people..." Hmm. You start to wonder if certain audience members are going to be squirming in their seats as they recognise themselves onstage, a suspicion that's further compounded when Neil mentions the character of Bob Saunders, and “a pop-manager who’s managed loads of bands I know what you're going to say about it:' he smiles, "but we've really gone out of our way to make that not the case. It is not [he leans into the microphone for emphasis] based on [former PSBs managed Tom Watkins."

Bob is just one of the characters seeking to 'help' Straight Dave. To that list must be added (and it's the character that everyone is talking about) the very glamorous, impossibly iconic Billie Tricks. "Billie's character has grown a lot throughout the process:' explains Tennant. "She started out as a supporting character and now she's one of the main ones. A sort of linking device. Billie has a night at a club, and in the New Romantic period kind of gets rediscovered and has a minor hit - the same sort of period as Visage. I think she's based on Nico, with a little bit of Amanda Lear thrown in.

The role is taken by - and this one's going to come as a surprise to seasoned theatre-types Frances Barber. A familiar face from BBC dramas, Royal Shakespeare Company productions and all that 'proper' acting stuff, Frances is also if we can Quote a clearly besotted Paul Keating - "off her box. She's phenomenal in this. She's got a bastardised German/American accent; she's hosting this club night off her face on all manner of drugs and drink. I become one of her dancers - one of Billie Troika~ 'babes' - and ride the wave that goes along with that. And it's a really hairy trip:'

Which brings us neatly to one of the most talked-about scenes in the musical, the "K-Hole" sequence. Harvey, for one, is more than a little tickled by it. "I just think it's hilarious that we've got a musical with a K-hole scene in it:' he chuckles. "That means it's not fucking Salad Days, do you know what I mean?" The music that accompanies it is a part-beautiful/ part-threatening instrumental, all sinister strings and woozy, head-fuck whisperings...You can't help wondering where the inspiration came from...

"A friend of mine did a lot of K," explains Tennant, "and it's a very troublesome drug. I saw him on it and I was absolutely appalled. It's a physically addictive drug, and it makes people suicidal, which again is part of the plot of the musical. There's a very pivotal scene where everyone takes this K that's just been delivered and gets totally off his or her faces. And - patricianly in gay clubs It’s the drug people are taking, isn't it? Originally we had heroin, and heroin just seemed a little bit... a little bit corny. I think Train spotting sort of owns that one:'

inevitable, when attitude talks to Neil Tenant,

the fact that he chose this magazine to quilt come out in 1994 is raised. Dose he think of it as “that interview”? You mean the coming out interview? Laughs no

Really. The thing was, it did lead to Pet shop boys being perceived as a gay act and I often think of these thing as being very restrictive When we were on Atlantic records in

America for the album bilingual the Gay Marketing Division - yes, they actually have one - were asked to handle the project at which

Point there’s a horrible feeling that you've been ghettoised I got really mad

At someone who said Now Dusty died who said NOW dust was a guy icon wasn’t a gay icon She was one of the greatest pop singer ever produced by this country. To call her gay icon is just to marginalize her;, when, she was a completely mainstream singer its actually' 'a heterosexual cliché', describing people as gay icons  I think its really pathetic. It limits an Audience for someone, and I don t like that!' Clearly no fan of pigeonholes Tennant isn't any more

Impressed by the current spate of 80s retro-clip shows reaching the small screen either We won't do interviews for 80s retro shows he says I don t like the way people generally put together programmes about previous musical eras. They're normally put together by people who dido participate in them, and who possibly don't participate, I music now. It's this whole thing that 'It was the decade that Taste forgot.' Now that used to be the 70s, when in tact the 70s was an era - and yes, I was around, then - obsessed by taste arid

Style. And again, the Boss was an era obsessed by style It's 1ust That something in the recent past always seems funny to us;' Hard though it is to make the observation sound inoffensive, it's plain that the Pet Shop Boys don't quite occupy the same place now in the Pop world that they did then. "I think we sort of don't fit into the pop scene:' says Tennant, clearly not about to lose any sleep over the fact We're a different generation now, and you have to accept that. But we still have quite a sizable audience. Pop music now is like it was before the Beatles - the idea that it's about etching doesn't enter into it any more;' And where PSB in the 80s were regular tenants of the No 1 Chart position, these days it's the unchallenged domain of well the likes of Hear' Say: "There's this ludicrous thing with Hear'Say," frowns Tennant where people say 'Well they can sing you know'. Well so what?

Lots of people can flame sing. What are they about? That's what I m interested in. Do they have a certain style? Are they going to change the 'world? Are they going to?

Reflects what4s happening around

Them in a tour-minute pop song and make it sexy at the same time? Or are they just five kids who can sing? I feel a bit sorry for them actually, because they've got this intense fame - I hope they make a lot of money and don't let it screw them up. Because to be that famous and not earn money is really awful:' A stage-musical being a first for Harvey and Pet Shop Boys, you can't help wondering how a traditionally precious critical community will respond to these, well, young-ish upstarts arriving on the scene. Neil and Chris have previously used lyrics by way of 'right to reply' (Yesterday When I Was Mad is as emphatic a 'Oh tuck the lot of you' statement as ever graced the charts), but this time around - as Neil seems relieved to report, "there seems to be an awful lot of enthusiasm in theatre for us doing this. A lot of people seem very interested and excited by it. We'll see.

It depends how good it is. It might be a disaster:' He doesn't mean that. A blind man on a galloping camel could see the all-round enthusiasm surrounding the show. And come opening night, it's tempting to assume that all concerned will be looking forward to a well-earned rest. Assume nothing of the sort. Keating is hoping to add even more 80s-icons to his CV Having previously played Kim Wilde's son in Tommy (he beamingly describes her as "a real little minx - a little tinker. And she's very beautiful:'), he's now up for Fingers crossed - a role in a forthcoming film by Bo:

George. "He's written a musical film called Taboo -the story of a young boy who's come down to London from Liverpool and gets involved in the club scene." Hmm. Sounds vaguely familiar. "Oh no, it's totally different, really," Keating assures us. "In the workshop I was actually playing him. Which was scary, because he was there watching it. But having said that he was really nice, and didn't put any pressure on me at all. I mean you can't do a carbon copy of Boy George, you can only offer your take on it and hope that it's what they want."

Harvey, for his part, is working on an ITV drama with Sarah (have we stopped calling her Worrier’s Raquel yet?) Lancashire and - very separately - a film about Leigh Bowery. At which stage you can only wonder how much of that particular biography is actually screen able: "Well you can't have Sarah Lancashire pooling on people at the Fridge on primetime telly, obviously:' he laughs, "but you can do it in the cinema. I mean you can't do Leigh Bower’s life and not do that scene. I did have the film opening with it originally, but I think everyone felt it would be better to work towards it gradually." With the musical, the play and these two projects, it starts to sound like the man never rests. "Oh no, I'm going to go to Morocco for a few weeks in September, just to relax and be nice to my boyfriend!' Which kind of suggests that you haven't been lately... "Me? A nightmare to live with?

Oh of course I am. A complete fucking nightmare with a capital N' he grins. The Pet Shop Boys' schedule is no quieter, either. June 4th sees the re-release of their first six albums (all reasserted, all containing a bonus-CD of remixes and previously unreleased material), they're working with long-time collaborator Stephen Hague on the cast album for Closer To Heaven, and yes, there's a new album due next Spring. And if rumour is 10 be believed, it's the Pet Shop Boys' "rock" album. "It's rock," clarifies Tennant, "but that's taken within a Pet Shop Boys context, of course. It's quite interesting; actually, we've made sort of rock ballads using dance technology. I mean it's all samples and stuff. But it's a very beautiful album. It's almost all slow-tempo songs. And they're all love songs. Chris kept saying 'No, that can't go on the album. No, that can't go on the album: He wants love ballads to play when he gets home at three 0 clock in the morning:'

And - having spent the best part of two decades planning their first musical - there's already another one in the pipeline. "We've started to think about it, yeah;' he grins. "I mean we've learned a lot from doing this. We went into this thinking that this was a new sort of career - a new strand for our career. I also think it's a very interesting field and it's wide open. So yes, we want to do more. We're also doing this thing in America, but it's not been announced yet, so I can't go into details. It's very relevant for Attitude, but it's not confirmed yet:' If rumour is true, he's referring to a US tour by acts associated with the Boss music scene, the other names being speculatively bandied about including Soft Cell and The Human League. For a band so inextricably associated with technology and electronic, the Pet Shop Boys do seem to have become rather fond of playing live.

"Well it's enjoyable," says Tennant. "And this is where the musical is a totally logical thing for us -we've always done theatrical shows to some extent. We've never yet done a totally naturalistic rock show. Maybe this time we will. We're just waiting for the Nightlife tour to come out on DVD:' he adds. "Do you know it takes TWELVE weeks to get a DVD classified?" he asks, venturing almost into Victor Mel drew territory. "Twelve weeks! I just think that's unbelievable:' Which coming from a man who's just spent 20 years getting his musical onto the stage is a tad rich, frankly, but there's every indication that the wait will have been worth it.

Neil Tennant is a busy man, then, but also an enviably contented one. The secret? "We set out at the beginning to try and create a little culture of our own;' he smiles. "We always say 'If you like the Pet Shop Boys you enter their world'. And it's still quite an interesting world. There's always something happening. There hasn't really been another group like that - that's done records, sort of invented a way of presenting a pop group in a super naturalistic way, i.e. a not-very-pop way at all. We've kept ourselves interested. I loved it when we were a huge pop thing. I'm proud that we did all that, and we did it in a totally different way. And when you look back on it, it's not at all cheesy. I'm   pro~~ that we've done it our way, really. I kind of wish more people would think like that, but most people tend to choose to do what everyone else does:'