Just A Quickie with… Liz McClarnon ...the former Atomic Kitten now prowling the stage as trailer trash Paulette Buonufonté in Legally Blonde, this summer’s pinkest show at the Grand Opera House, York.

The first Legally Blonde tour opened earlier this month in Liverpool, Liz. How did that feel, making your debut as Paulette in your home city?

“At times you’re so comfortable because everyone loves you, but in fact my family are my worst critics. I was just bothered by what my mother was going to say, but they criticise only in a good way, a constructive way.”

Since the demise of Atomic Kitten, you have appeared in the female lead role in Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds and now Legally Blonde. How does life in a musical show compare with life in a band?

“It’s definitely different. Being in a band, there’s only three of you but in a show like this there are 28 of you on stage, and all the musicians there too, so there’s a lot more people involved and everyone plays an integral part – whereas in Atomic Kitten you could kind of be selfish.”

How are you enjoying being in Legally Blonde?

“I know it’s so easy to say, but I’ve really made lots of friends. There’s a real vibe to the company, and I’m loving it.”

What did you learn from doing the 25th anniversary tour of War Of The Worlds?

“I would say it was kind of an in-between place being a pop star and being in a musical theatre show. It’s more about you being an artist and you’re there because you’re an artist, like Jason Donovan, Rhydian Roberts and Justin Hayward, who were in the show with me.”

In Legally Blonde, you play a loud piece of Boston trailer trash. How did you learn the accent?

“I listened to a million and one John F Kennedy speeches. It’s strange as we had a bit of a dilemma because we were worried that with me doing a Boston accent, unlike everyone else, people would just think my American accent was poor. But it’s actually quite an English-sounding accent, so it sounds quite Liverpudlian.

“Even when we had our dialect lessons, it was like, ‘Oh, everyone say this, apart from you Liz,’ because everyone else has a generic West Coast accent.”

• Legally Blonde The Musical runs at Grand Opera House, York, from August 9 to 20. Box office: 0844 871 3024.