It's just a matter of a zip here and an elasticised waist there. And we are getting to the stage of one size fits all; the fabrics stretch to accommodate the wearer That's progress. Or is it? Do we really want to look like Tellytubbies? Shouldn't we suffer a bit for fashion?The great thing is you can be dressed as inappropriately as you like for a cold night standing round a bonfire but as long as you zip that fleece up high, you will be cosy and warm. Compare a typical outfit from today with something our great-grandparents might have worn in 1897. Then, it was all corset stays, hooks and eyes, underskirts, lacing and suspenders Today dressing needs no assistance or thought whatsoever.

The fact that fashion has been so transformed by sportswear over the past two decades - from breathable, stretchable, washable fabrics we wear to the drawstring waists, hooded tops, and training shoes that are now as commonplace in fashion shops as in the locker room - is more to do with the comfort factor than with the desire to be healthy and fit.It's about time too. They can simply be melted down and spun into a fibre which, in turn, is woven into high-performance fleece fabric. We expect to see American labels like Gap, Timberland and Northface using fleece for their sportswear ranges. But it's not something you would associate with traditional clothing company, Thomas Burberry. But when Burberry launched its Sport range this year, perfecting fleece was high on the priority list. To avoid looking like Wayne or Waynetta, simply wear your fleece with something a little special like a delicate beaded dress. Not only is a fleece jacket warm and functional, it can be eco- friendly too, the perfect way of re-cycling plastic drinks bottles. A neat jacket and coat might look smart and elegant, but who wants to feel as though their arms are trussed up all day? Just as we are used to having our fruit and veg packed into self-contained, easy-to-use, pre-washed units, so too we want our wardrobes to be as easy as possible The art of mixing style and comfort is a fine balancing act.

And who can resist the feeling of being wrapped up like a teddy-bear? I blame the Tellytubbies in their all-in-one fleecy suits. If I had the option between a trouser suit and a fleecy romper to wear to work in the morning, I know which one I would go for We have become a nation of comfort seekers Structured clothing is off the agenda. Like all good, functional ideas, the fleecy jacket has transcended age, gender and occasion; it has become the grown up clothing equivalent of a comfort blanket. But I can't help regretting that England won't be seeing one of the best comic performances from the grandest of old ladies that I have been privileged to work with.`The Good Woman of Sharkville' is at the Hackney Empire, London (0181- 985 2424) to Sat; the Nia Centre, Manchester (0161-227 9254) 11-15 Nov; and the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry (01203 553055) 18-22 Nov.

The "fleece" is to the Nineties what the shell suit was to the Eighties. It has became the universal sportswear, worn by the fitness fanatic who goes jogging in his on cold winter mornings, to the clubber who wraps hers round her waist whilst dancing and wears it to go home in or the office worker who zips one up inside her coat so she can stay warm in the bus queue. Martha came off the plane at Heathrow in a semi- coma and the next day the doctors saved her life by cutting off the leg. The irony was that Martha had a British passport and was entitled to treatment under the NHS Her years of exile had saved her. She gamely hobbled back into the role, sporting a walking-stick, for the last few weeks of the run. "Fine," I said, "let's have Martha, wheelchair and all, she's too good to miss out on." She was happy, I was happy and during September we rehearsed seven new cast members with nary a sign of trouble and Mam Mtunzi was back to her old magic But fate was playing its hand. Then I heard that that same leg had been amputated during the year that it took to arrange the UK tour.Otherwise, I heard, she was well.