Playing Cilla Black was a lorra, lorra pressure for musical star Kara Lily Hayworth

WHEN Kara Lily Hayworth was 11 years old, she bumped into Cilla Black and told the star she wanted to be a singer when she grew up.

Eighteen years later, Kara has not only achieved her dream, but in a quirk of fate she is now playing Cilla in a stage show about the much-missed Liverpudlian’s remarkable life.

Kara appears in Cilla The Musical, which comes to Glasgow this week as part of its extensive debut UK tour, having previously wowed Edinburgh audiences last year.

“I was in a clothes shop with my mum when I spotted Cilla, so I went up to her and said I was going to be a singer,” Kara smiled.

“I remember her telling me it was a tough industry.

“I framed the autograph she gave me, which I still have to this day.”

By the time Kara had met Cilla, she was already well on her way to a career in entertainment.

Shortly before the encounter, she starred in a nationwide tour of Annie, playing the titular character.

“I started dance classes when I was really young and went along to an open audition for Annie. I got the part and that gave me the acting bug.

“No one in my family is in the business, but I knew this was what I wanted to do.

“I think I was surer of myself back then – I was a very confident young lady. These days I analyse everything a lot more.”

In another quirk of fate, Kara’s co-star in Annie was Paul O’Grady, one of Cilla’s best friends.

“He came along on opening night and I had the chance to talk to him,” Kara continued. “He said he remembered me.”

Like Annie, Cilla The Musical held open auditions.

Kara went along with thousands of other hopefuls but didn’t believe she would be picked.

“I didn’t even know the auditions were happening, it was my acting agent who mentioned it.

“I thought I might as well go along even though I didn’t think for a minute I had a chance – although I knew I was the same height, body shape and hair colour.

“I auditioned at the Dominion Theatre in London and made it through to the final audition, which was held at The Cavern Club.

“That was where it all started for Cilla and is such an iconic building, so I was nervous but it was also exciting.”

Cilla’s son, Robert Willis, is the executive producer and was part of the audition panel. When he saw Kara’s performance he knew she was the one.

“Kara has excelled my hopes,” Robert told The Sunday Post last year.

“She’s such a beautiful girl, inside and out, her voice is phenomenal and she’s stepped up to the challenge. It’s a very demanding role.”

The 29-year-old from Buckinghamshire performs 18 songs in the show and is in every scene, so while it’s a brilliant opportunity, it can also be tiring and is laced with pressure.

Opening at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool was one of the ingredients of that pressure, but first Kara had to study her character and work on the accent.

“I’ve always loved accents, so that was a treat,” she said. “Cilla didn’t have a stereotypical Liverpudlian accent, so I wanted to get that across as well as some of her Cilla-isms.

“A lot of the cast come from Liverpool, so they helped.

“I watched a lot of interviews and performances to work on the mannerisms, but without it turning into an imitation.

“I think it’s the first time I’ve played a real person and it can be a blessing. All of the material is there to study, so you have something solid.

“When I was younger I watched Blind Date on TV every week with my nan. That was part of my childhood.

“But I’ve now learned all about her career before that. It was amazing and I didn’t know a lot about it.

“I suppose there was some pressure opening in Liverpool, with all of her family in attendance.

“Here I was, not being from the city and playing an icon of that city.

“But as soon as we started and heard the audience’s response, we knew they were going to love it.”

That’s been the case on every tour stop since, as Glasgow audiences will find out this week.

Cilla The Musical, King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Tue-Sat