The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice is a savage black comedy-drama about painfully shy, diminutive Little Voice (LV), who lives in the north of England with her mother, Mari. Mari’s drunken, overbearing personality has driven LV into seclusion in her bedroom, where she listens to her late father’s records and has perfected faultless impersonations of the greatest divas, including Judy Garland and Dame Shirley Bassey. When Mari’s latest boyfriend, small-time working men’s club impresario Ray Say overhears LV singing, he puts in place a tragic sequence of events as he pushes her towards stardom she doesn’t want and of which she is literally terrified.

Originally written for actress Jane Horrocks, The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice premiered in 1992 at the National Theatre before transferring to the Aldwych theatre. It was nominated for six Laurence Olivier Awards, and won both The Evening Standard and Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Comedy.

Diana Vickers, who plays the eponymous lead in The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice, was born in Burnley, Lancashire, the sort of town where the play is set, and has been singing since the age of 11. Her talent came to light when she entered the X Factor in 2008, surviving nine weeks of live shows.

Vickers is taking short break from recording her debut album to take the role in The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice. She recently signed a record deal to RCA records and her debut album is due for release early 2010.

For more about The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice at the Vaudeville theatre, read the First Night Feature, the Big Interview with Marc Warren or Introducing… Diana Vickers.