BIG is beautiful and back-combed is boss at Penyrheol Theatre, with the bold and brassy Hairspray on offer.

The winning tale sees Tracy Turnblad inch ever-closer to her dream of dancing on The Corny Collins Show and being transformed from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity.

A gala night on Saturday will see Paul Potts, Charlotte Church and Lee Trundle get in on the beatsome, 1960s magic and there will be some familiar faces up on stage too, with 13-year-old Shaheen Jafargholi taking on the role of Seaweed.

This will be the first time audiences have seen him put through his paces as a singer, dancer and actor, alongside his stage school colleagues.

And 10-year-old Leilah Hughes, stepping up as Little Inez, will show no signs of nerves at the gala night, she says.

"No, I don't get stage fright. The thought of performing in front of people like Paul Potts just makes me put more energy into the role."

Keen to go into acting and singing as a career, Leilah, a classical as well as a pop singer, says Lesley Garrett and Leona Lewis are her vocal heroines, with Julie Walters an acting favourite and Meryl Streep's turn in Mamma Mia! catching her eye too. But for now her thoughts are on Hairspray.

Read Shaheen's rehearsal blogs

"I'm really enjoying it and it is good to be on stage with Shaheen. We make a good team."

Producer and director Mark Jermin says: "The students have been working so hard on the show for the last few months. It's a fun, upbeat show for all the family and the show is sure to dazzle audiences."

Pobol y Cwm's Emily Tucker pops up in Hairspray as Amber, and the piece continues at Penyrheol Theatre, Gorseinon, until Saturday, March 20.