Katherine MacAlister speaks to Amanda Coutts as she prepares to come to Oxford and set the stage alight with the New Theatre’s Christmas offering Starlight Express....on roller skates.

Amanda Coutts has been singing and dancing since she can remember, attending stage school from the age of five. So she’s the perfect choice for the lead character Pearl, right, in Starlight Express, as she races around the New Theatre this Christmas.

Even so, Amanda says that despite her packed CV and years of stage experience, Starlight Express is a physically relentless show, and with the tour taking her the length and breadth of the country, her health and fitness are paramount.

And with two shows a day to perform, plus the touring and travelling, she says the schedule is: “absolutely exhausting because its so physical, so you don’t have much of a social life but it’s still fantastic - its hard work but great fun.”

And with West Side story and We Will Rock You under her belt, Amanda’s now giving her all to the revival of Starlight Express: “I’m playing Pearl which is fantastic and I love working with Arlene Phillips who does the choreography so I’m very lucky because I’ve done some great shows with some great parts,” the 30 year-old smiles.

So tell us about the show! “You will absolutely love it,” she tells me. “The costumes, the make-up, the set, the stunts, the story-line, the choreography and the singing is mindblowing. It’s a real feel good musical and kids love it because its based on trains and carriages competing against each other.”

But what about the skating? “Well when I joined the German leg of the tour, I was given three months of skating training, but the rest was left to me,” she says. “And at the beginning I did wonder how I was going to do this, because I haven’t been skating as long as some people in the show.”

So has she had some knee trembling tumbles? “Oh yes,” the Essex girl grins, “I’ve had some cracking falls in the past,” she grins, “like Superman flying through the air, and once my wig came off as I crashed into the barrier,” she giggles. “I fell over in the last performance actually, so you do get the odd accident and stumble, usually when you least expect it, when you are at your most relaxed and just standing there, it’s always the way. But you just get up and get on with it. Sometimes wearing eight wheels can be a disaster,” she laughs.

At least the touring version tames down some of the race scenes because of space limitations. And although the full set is too big to tour with, Amanda is in no doubt that the audience will love the 3D additions which replace the live races. “Everyone has 3D glasses and there’s a 3D screen,” she smiles.

Neither is Amanda phased by the ghosts of Pearl’s past, considering the show has been running on and off since 1984. “I have got my own way of doing it, so I’m not at all worried about previous Pearls,” she beams.

Starlight Express runs at Oxford’s New Theatre from Tuesday, December 11, to Saturday, December 29.

Call the box office on 0844 871 3020 or see atgtickets.com/oxford