Last year was monumental for Lauren Samuels, writes Will Gore.

Not only did she make it to the final of the BBC talent show, Over the Rainbow, but she also enjoyed a stint starring as Sandy in the West End production of Grease.

She is now taking on a challenge that is a world away from these two experiences by starring in The Last Five Years – a musical two- hander – at fringe venue, The Tabard Theatre.

Although Samuels, 22, has performed live on prime-time TV and in front of thousands in the West End, she says starring in a production such as The Last Five Years brings a pressure of its own.

She says: “There is nothing more scary than singing in front of Lord Lloyd Webber on national television, with 4million people watching every week.

“Performing in The Last Five Years is a completely different kind of thing but it is still nerve-wracking – you are on your own with the audience and if you don’t know what you are doing then you going to be in trouble.”

The Last Five Years, written by Jason Robert Brown, first ran in America in 2002 and it charts the story of a couple’s relationship told from two distinct angles. Cathy, played by Samuels, tells the tale backwards, from painful break-up to first meeting, while Jamie, played by Christopher Pym, takes the traditional approach by telling the story from the beginning to the end.

“It is really interesting the way the stories overlap and takes the audience through the good and the bad times of this relationship,” she says.

“I was given the album of the show three years ago when I was at drama school and I fell in love with the music. When the chance came up to be in it I knew I just had to do it. If you are given the opportunity to sing something that you love, you can’t turn it down.”

The Last Five Years, The Tabard Theatre, 2 Bath Road, Turnham Green, February 9 - March 5, £16/14, tabardweb.co.uk