The evil antics of a media magnate called Mr White and his sidekick The Hawk are to feature in a comic book-style musical based on Brighton.

Although the setting for their dastardly deeds is mythical Bright City, the action is based in the Sussex resort.

Michael Hinton, from Ditchling, has taken two years to write the piece. This weekend, he will be looking for actors to immortalise the characters on stage.

Although place names have been changed, there are plenty of references for locals to spot.

Mr White and The Hawk create mayhem across Bright City. There are murders, fires and robberies, all documented by roving reporter Alfie King.

Rowena Dean, Mr White's assistant, and his bodyguard, called Rock, are also involved.

The story revolves around James and Mary Orrydians, who arrive in Bright City on holiday with their teenage daughter Rose to revisit the scene of their honeymoon 16 years earlier.

They soon get caught up in the confusion created by Mr White, who wants to be city mayor.

Rose gets kidnapped by The Hawk while her parents are thrown in jail, accused of being foreign troublemakers.

The police officer is PC John Street, while Rowena Dean's cousins are Holly, Woody, Bev, West, Tong and Col, all references to well-known Brighton areas.

Entitled Hello, Bright City, the comic-book musical uses brightly- coloured costumes, angular furniture and stylised movement.

Mr Hinton, 54, who produces educational material to help teach English as a foreign language, said the idea came to him while he was working.

He said: "I'd wanted to write a musical for a long time but never had the time or the opportunity.

"I started to think about Hello, Bright City when I was working on a project with a friend to make CD-Rom inter-active games.

"One was called Mean City, based on a similar idea. Users were thrust into a strange city while a mystery unfolded around them. They had to solve the mystery and save the city.

"As I had some time off after the project, I decided I wanted to adapt the idea into a musical and give it a more local angle."

Mr Hinton, whose son John is directing the production, will hold casting auditions at Ditchling Village Hall on Sunday at 2pm.

Performances will be from May 20 to 24. More information at www.hellobright city.com