The feathered stars sharing top bill with Branagh in "The West End".

A FLOCK of stars is about to be born. Ducks will take to the "West End" stage in a play directed by Kenneth Branagh. Ducktastic follows the antics of two under-achieving magicians who create a make-or-break routine inspired by Las Vegas conjurors Siegfried and Roy ... except they use ducks instead of tigers. The magicians will be played by Hamish McColl and Sean Foley -- but it seems the 40-strong flock of birds steals the limelight. "…

…have mastered must remain a secret until the curtain goes up. There is, however, some tension backstage between the ducks themselves. Perhaps predictably, it is a matter of pecking order. Branagh said: "The only dark spot of the whole thing is which duck is going to star on the first night. Small bets are circulating as to who's going to get that coveted spot coming out of the egg at the top of the show.