As the curtain went up and Summer Strallen sang her first notes as The Sound Of Music's Von Trapp governess Maria, there were some very special audience members cheering her switch from the small screen to treading the boards at the London Palladium.
Watching the 23-year-old actress' debut performance were her closest pals from Hollyoaks, Zoe Lister, Carly Stenson, Gerard McCarthy, and Chris Fountain. The friends wished Summer good luck with a group hug before the performance, which culminated in a standing ovation for the delighted star.
Summer - who is the niece of English stage star Bonnie Langford - has clearly made lasting friendships on the TV show after joining the cast in October, when she began playing an aspiring actress in a plot masterminded by Andrew Lloyd-Webber.
He worked closely with Channel 4 for months on the story to introduce his hand-picked replacement for How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria TV show winner Connie Fisher.
The West End maestro was clearly pleased with the way things had panned out. "She was fantastic. We are very proud of her," he said after Summer's performance. "It's a corny thing to say but we had the most fantastic spring with Connie and I think we're going to have a glorious Summer."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
