‘Masive sing’ as Eva

“I have sung all my life, but this really is a massive sing,” says Sarah who stars as the tragic singer in

Over The Rainbow: The Eva Cassidy Story on September 18 at Brighton Theatre Royal; on

September 21 at Horsham’s Capitol; and on October 19 at Southsea’s Kings Theatre.

The only solution was to immerse herself in Eva completely, picking up all the things that made Eva Eva - such as the way she breathed when singing, different because she played the guitar at the same time.

“I have tried to be as faithful as possible,” says Sarah Jane who sees the key as picking up on Eva’s extraordinary range: “It’s a very clean sound, but she can also be very husky. She can sound very gravelly, very earthy and then very clean. She had so many different styles within her voice.”

At times she could sound very screechy; at others, she would be very soft, very captivating, as on Autumn Leaves.

“I just didn’t really realise that range until I studied her.”