‘Two years ago, Sally Hughes, the artistic director of the Mill at Sonning, put herself into the spotlight with a vengeance. She decided to play the lead in a new musical about legendary star Doris Day, and put a great deal of research into recapturing Doris’s jaunty delivery of more than 20 numbers, The Deadwood Stage, Young at Heart, Que Sera Sera and Secret Love among them. The show also delves into the sharp contrast between Doris’s cheery public image and her private life. The result has been a resounding and continuing hit for the Mill.

“We are just coming to the end of four weeks at the Edinburgh Festival,” Sally told me. “Sold out every night. It has been a whirlwind experience. I feel like a student again. Backstage facilities are pretty grim, but the company is in good spirits. We’re looking forward to having our own dressing rooms when we get back to Sonning.”

The show is being revived at the Mill (Sep-Oct 15, tickets: 0118 969 8000, www.millatsonning.com) just as Doris herself releases My Heart, a compilation of previously unreleased recordings. Then, Sally revealed: “We are being flown out to Los Angeles by the El Portal Theatre in Hollywood where we will be performing the show for three weeks. Very exciting. I don’t think Doris will come, but I know that a lot of people in the film business who know her will be there on opening night. Scary!”