Nick Pelas is Greenstead Community Centre’s manager by day and an artistic director by night.

Now his explosive play about Jackie Kennedy’s passionate love triangle with Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas is about to get its London debut.

He wrote and directed O Jackie which will be performed in Barons Court Theatre.

The original script mixes eroticism, passion, comedy and murder plus Greek dancing and audience participation.

It took Nick, who lives in Clacton, about a year to bring the play to the stage.

He began writing it on holiday in Greece, one of the countries which always feature in his work as a nod to his Greek origin.

He said: “Everyone knows about Jackie up to the assassination but never beyond that, so not many people know about her life afterwards.

“She married Onassis, a Greek shipping tycoon, who was one of the richest men on the planet.

“The audience are wedding guests in the play so the idea is to have some tables on stage where they can sit and to make them feel as uncomfortable as possible while the chaos explodes around them.

“It’s a brilliant play and there’s been a lot of interest in it at the moment.”

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

Leading ladies Jassie Mortimer, Sara Figueiredo and Natalia Ambrosia

O Jackie has been produced under Nick’s Stage Theatre Company and likened to a “Greek Goodfellas” because of its gangster characters and action scenes.

Raindance, an independent film company in London, has invited Nick back to pitch it as a possible film.

A lack of directorial experience meant he lost out the first time but Nick, 53, has taken the positive from being given another chance in June.

Until then, O Jackie gets 12 days at the fringe theatre venue when guests will get to see Nick star as Onassis.

Nick added: “Taking on an acting role isn’t something I usually do. I normally just direct and let it run.

“Sometimes I’m only there on the opening and closing nights but I felt really involved with this play so I wanted to be part of it and feel it.”

Theatre comes naturally to Nick who has been involved in it since 2008, putting on two or three shows a year.

Originally from North London, he joined Greenstead Community Centre a few years ago after being made redundant from the NHS.

Where possible, his job and passion can collide, such as this Friday when Bears and Vagabonds production company “bring Shakespeare to Greenstead” with King Lear.

He said: “Now I work here I’ve made contacts with the Arts Centre and Mercury Theatre so it’s only a question of time before I show in Colchester.”

O Jackie shows from February 20 to March 4. Tickets cost £14.

To book, click here.