THERE could have been more pzazz in All That Jazz at Blackpool Grand Theatre on March 21.

But the man in the seat next to me for Beyond Broadway's hit musicals tribute should have stayed longer than the first 10 minutes, because after a lukewarm opening number things got a lot better.

The audience responded well to the invitation to sing along with the four-strong touring vocal troupe, and their reward was a mesmerising performance from the undoubted star of the show -- 24-year-old Lincolnshire-born Winnie Clarke of West End Theatre fame.

When her soulful, strong soprano soared during a duet from Miss Saigon with Ed Burton, you believed it was The Last Night of the World.

But well-loved extracts from Les Miserables were the evening's favourites, including an amusing character rendition of Master of the House from husband and wife duo Lynne and Ed O'Driscoll, a thoughtful and haunting Val Jean soliloquy by Ed Burton and a poignantly heart-stopping On My Own from Winnie. It was a good night for musical theatre.