“Having seen the film Fame, I thought there would be a lot of black taxis in the streets outside, ready for me to leap on them,” she laughs. “There weren’t.” BUT it was while studying there that an email arrived from the TV company creating How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? Intrigued, she applied to audition in Manchester – her first-ever audition, incidentally – and went with friends, not expecting much. “I didn’t expect to get anywhere and had made lunch arrangements at the pub around the corner.” To her delight, she was chosen and made it to the shortlist for the televised show. Each week, she and other girls had to audition in front of a panel of judges. “Any other audition is going to be easy in comparison.” To an outsider, it looked like a nightmare experience for any would-be performer. But not to Abi. “It was the most wonderful experience and I would certainly do it over again,” she says. “I just felt so lucky and it was a once in a lifetime event. “It was like a holiday camp and school trip rolled into one. We would sit around the lounge in the evenings watching reality TV and saying how much we hated it. We forgot we were doing it! “Everyone was friendly and I still keep in touch now.” For a while, she was recognised on the streets. “I am not very good at that but it depends on what they say. “Sometimes they would ask if I was the girl from the show and when I said yes, they would just look at you. “Or I would be walking in the street and someone in a car would slow down and try to speak, holding up the traffic. I was just worried about the people behind.” She did have to audition for Fame and was so happy when she got a leading role. “I was a bit worried that all the dancers in the show would stick together but they are a most wonderful cast of people, all disgustingly talented. We all get on so well and it’s just nice. “I know it is a cliché but honestly and truly I am living the dream, doing something I always wanted to do. “I have to pinch myself sometimes. I am so lucky to be doing what I love doing on a daily basis – you can't ask for any more.” Single girl Abi even loves the touring. “It’s an amazing thing and I will never get the opportunity to see all these places. “People said I would hate living out of suitcases, but it is brilliant, such good fun.” The show itself, she says, is vibrant and energetic. “We all understand the story as it is about a whole lot of students who are desperate to make it in the performing arts business, willing to overcome obstacles thrown in their way. We can all understand the hunger the characters have.” Her role as Serena allows her plenty of singing and dancing. A favourite song, Meryl Streep, comes when her character sees the boy she likes kissing another girl. “I tell myself, right, I am not going to cry, I am going to use these emotions in my acting like Meryl Streep. It’s a great role to play.” Abi is particularly looking forward to performing in the North. “It is interesting to see how audiences are different in different places. But Northern audiences know how to enjoy a show like Fame.”
FAME opens at the Liverpool Empire on June 18 and runs until June 23.
philkey@dailypost.co.uk | 
