A schoolgirl from Sutton has got the cream after being offered a part in the West End stage production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Bernice Leigh, eight, is to appear opposite the screen legend James Earl Jones and the Hustle actor Adrian Lester this autumn.

The all-black version of the Tennesse Williams classic was brought to the Novello Theatre after a sell-out run on Broadway last year.

Bernice, a pupil at Avenue Primary School and Stagecoach Sutton, has been offered a five-month contract on the show until April.

Her mother, Jora, said: “She was pleasantly surprised because the longer it dragged on, the more we thought she might not get on the cast.”

“Bernice is vivacious, full of life and always singing and talking, unless she is eating. She was singing from the age of three months, making ga-ga sounds with us, but until recently she was always a shy performer in public.

“She is not too starstruck, though, because she doesn’t know who are a lot of the actors are.

"But I have already met Debbie Allen, the director, and now I am really looking forward to meeting James Earl Jones, who is a legend in his own right.

"I can remember seeing him in Roots, a very old film.”

Rachel Crouch, principal of Stagecoach Sutton said: “We put Bernice up as she is an outstanding little actress. I am delighted she made it.”

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, to open on December 1, also stars comedian and DJ Richard Blackwood and Sanaa Lathan, from the hit TV series Nip/Tuck.

For more information, go to catwestend.com or call the box office on 0844 482 5170.

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