It’s a famous rags-to-riches stories, that of Lucy O’Byrne, the shy Irish beauty with the belting voice. Having left her beloved Ireland to seek her fortune on stage, after three years Lucy was still an usher at the Apollo Victoria where she watched Wicked! every day for two years, hoping that one day it would be her up there on stage.

The Voice, BBCs primetime singing show, changed all that because not only did Lucy come second, but producer Bill Kenwright was watching, and called up his casting agents for The Sound Of Music to audition her.

“I still have to pinch myself every day,” Lucy says as she travels to Oxford to star in the New Theatre leg of the famous musical in which she plays Maria.

“It’s a tough life in musical theatre and you have to work so hard and really look after yourself, but I’m living the dream every time I get up there on stage and if I’m ever having a bad day, I just think back to my days as an usher and think “I’m here, I’ve done it.”

Hard to forget her humble beginnings though when Lucy see ushers everywhere she goes: “They have the same uniforms and name badges that I used to wear,” she remembers, “and it always puts things into perspective.”

But Lucy never gave up on her dreams to become a musical theatre star, even when her worried family rang every week from Ireland to ask how she was getting on. “I didn’t know how to do anything else. Singing is all I know - it’s in my blood, my family, my everything, so there was no point giving up.

“And I think that experience made me stronger and able to cope in today’s world of showbiz because I learned a lot about the industry, and the reality, and gained strength from that. I wouldn’t have had that if I’d just walked into the job straight off the plane. I certainly wouldn’t have appreciated what I’ve got now. It has made it so much better."

So how’s touring? “I’m getting there,” she laughs. “The rest of the cast are much more seasoned – some of them even carry their own spice rack – but it means I get to travel around the country and see cities I’ve never been to, because I’ve never been anywhere. I was the first person in my family to leave Ireland to come and work abroad, so it was a massive deal.”

And Oxford? “I visited a few weeks ago and it’s so beautiful so it’s really exciting for me seeing so much of the country, although when I’m not on stage I tend to be horizontal. I’ve never been this tired in my whole life.

“But it’s so rewarding and so worth it that all the effort and hard work pays off.”

“To be honest I never even dreamed I’d even be considered for the part of Maria. It’s a once in a lifetime experience, so for now I’m just enjoying the moment. I know how lucky I am.”

Lucy O'Byrne stars in The Sound Of Music from Tuesday 6-Sat 10 September at New Theatre. atgtickets.com/oxford 0844 8713020.