MUSICAL actress and singer Jodie Prenger is on tour in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s musical, Tell Me On A Sunday, which follows the troubled love life of Emma, a young woman from Muswell Hill now living in New York City.

The Grand Opera House was packed from the stalls to the dress circle with excited show-goers, eager to see the I’d Do Anything winner, who starred as Nancy in the West End revival of Oliver! and has since toured in Calamity Jane and Spamalot.

From the beginning, Prenger was a charismatic and compelling lead. Having to carry an entire show is daunting, even for an experienced performer, but at no point was she off her game, faultlessly running the gamut from light and fun to dark and even tragic at points.

York Press: Jodie Prenger in a publicity shot for Tell Me On A Sunday

Jodie Prenger: "charismatic and compelling lead"

The emotion and energy she put into every song, combined with the excellent on-stage band and some clever lighting and set design, transformed what could have been a sterile and still hour into a gripping experience.

After a short intermission, Prenger returned for an off-the-cuff Q&A, covering topics ranging from favourite shows, auditions and dream roles to fluffed lines, nerves and wardrobe malfunctions. Understudy Jodie Beth Meyer shone in a duet performance of Another Suitcase In Another Hall; Prenger herself closed out the night with a solo rendition of An Unexpected Song, a favourite of hers.

Jodie Prenger is a stellar performer with natural flair for powerful, emotional vocals and an instantly likeable stage persona. We couldn’t have asked for a better one-woman show.

Jodie Prenger's Tell Me On A Sunday tour visits Leeds Grand Theatre tonight (April 27) at 7.3pm. Box office: 0844 848 2700 or at leedsgrandtheatre.com