SHE is the greatest star.

From the moment the first big number declared it, there was no doubt in the minds of any member of the packed audience that they were watching a quite brilliant leading lady in the form of Sheridan Smith.

Back in the role of Fanny Brice for parts of the UK tour of Funny Girl, after a celebrated West End run was interrupted by absences due to stress and exhaustion, she is dazzling, hilarious and utterly entertaining from start to finish.

Overcoming the memory of Barbra Streisand in the central role is no mean feat, but she does it with aplomb. Sheridan has already received accolades galore for her performance as Vaudeville sensation Brice, the role previously described as immortalised by Streisand in the 1968 movie. They are well deserved, because she is simply stunning.

Smith has been highly praised for her recent TV appearance in the Shannon Matthews kidnap drama The Moorside and has long been one to watch through everything from Cilla and Mrs Biggs to Gavin & Stacey and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. But, as her Olivier Award winning turn as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde attested, it’s in the world of live theatre where this instinctive comedian truly comes to life.

Many of the stand out moments are when she is alone on stage, belting out numbers like Don't Rain On My Parade.

Within the confines of a wonky arch-shaped set, framed by a theatre auditorium creating the impression that she is always on stage, we watch the rise and rise of Fanny Brice from clumsy child to worldwide star. But, fame comes at the cost of her marriage to Nick Arnstein, played with poise and presence by one Darius Campbell, the man previously known as Danesh and famed for his Britney Spears turn on ITV’s Popstars.

Ensemble tap and ballet numbers from the talented cast were a joy but, ultimately, they were simply there as support to a superstar, who deserved every second of her lengthy standing ovation.