A STAR flexed her paws in front of theatre’s elite as she performed at the Olivier Awards with the cast of the touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS.

Dawn Williams, aged 21, stars as Jemima, who was played by Sarah Brightman in the original production, and also covers the role of Rumpleteazer.

The cast performed at the Olivier Awards on Sunday in front of an audience including Dame Helen Mirren and Damian Lewis, in honour of 87-year-old Gillian Lynne, the show’s choreographer, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in theatre.

Miss Williams, of Ladywood, near Droitwich, said the new touring show includes Gillian’s original choreography.

She said: “It’s pretty amazing.

“At the awards, the audience was all people from the industry so that was nerve-wracking, they’re probably the most critical audience.

“It’s an experience I will never forget.

“Obviously at first you’re thinking about who is in the audience. I started by coming down the aisle, so I just had to focus on what I was doing and think ‘it’s a normal person’.”

Miss Williams, a former Droitwich Spa High School pupil, spent years performing with Harlequin Stage School, Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society’s Youth Section (WODYS) and Emma Winscom Young Singers, before being awarded a scholarship to Laine Theatre Arts, in Epsom.

CATS is her first major show since graduating last July (2012).

She said: “It’s so overwhelming. We’ve been on tour now since February.

“It’s nice touring, it refreshes it. I still feel like it’s a brand new show.

“Moving venue, the sound is always different and the stage and the audience reaction is always different, but always great.

“Some venues are better than others, it’s amazing for me.”

Miss Williams had the support of family and friends when the show came to Wolverhampton.

She said: “It was great, it kind of hit home a bit I’m doing this professionally.

“It’s a bit weird that I can call this a job now.

“It’s overwhelming, I’m very lucky.”