SHERIDAN Smith is set to star on stage in Southampton next week.

The celebrated actress will reprise her highly acclaimed role of Fanny Brice when the UK tour of Funny Girl comes to Mayflower Theatre from Monday to Saturday.

The Olivier and BAFTA award winning actress, who first came to prominence on TV in the comedies Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm, will appear locally in one of a handful of select appearances on the UK tour of the show.

She has gone on to star in TV dramas like Mrs Biggs, for which she won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for playing Ronnie Biggs' wife, The 7.39 and Cilla, where she played Cilla Black.

Most recently,Sheridan impressed in The Moorside, the TV drama which chronicled the notorious kidnapping of nine-year-old Shannon Matthews, who disappeared from the Moorside estate in Dewsbury in 2008.

Her film credits include Tower Block, Quartet, Powder Room and The Harry Hill Movie.

On stage, Sheridan won the Olivier award for Best Actress in a Musical as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, as well as appearing in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hedda Gabler and the revival of Flare Path, which gained her another Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress as Doris.

Her critically acclaimed and record-breaking sold-out runs at the Menier Chocolate Factory and Savoy Theatre in Funny Girl won universal praise, despite her being forced to take a two-month break from the West End run suffering from severe stress and exhaustion.

Funny Girl brought global fame to Barbra Streisand 50 years ago and boasts some of the most iconic songs in film and theatre history, including People and Don’t Rain On My Parade.

This ‘iconic, legendary, laugh-out-loud’ (The Times) musical tells the story of Fanny Brice, whose vocal talents and comedic ability see her rise from Brooklyn music hall singer to Broadway star.

Tickets for Funny Girl are on sale now from 023 8071 1811 or mayflower.org.uk

We talk to leading lady Sheridan Smith ahead of the show in Seven Days, free with tomorrow's Daily Echo.