AN aspiring actor is taking centre stage in a hit West End and Broadway production.

Millie Jones, a 10-year-old student from the Stagecoach theatre school in Denbigh, is starring as the young Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical at the Liverpool Empire until December 6 after sailing through her auditions organised by the Stagecoach Agency.

The story follows an unlikely hero and his loyal steed Donkey as they embark on a quest to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona from a fire-breathing dragon.

Add the diminutive Lord Farquaad, a gang of fairytale misfits and a biscuit with attitude, and you’ve got the biggest, brightest musical comedy around.

Millie, who goes to Ysgol Frongoch in Denbigh, said: “Finding out I’d got a part was one of the happiest days of my life.

“Rehearsals were so much fun and performing on such a big stage for the first time will be amazing.

“I feel really lucky to have this opportunity and would like to thank my parents, teachers and Stagecoach for all their support.”

The UK and Ireland tour of the show is directed by Nigel Harman who starred as Lord Farquaad in the West End production at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, winning him the 2012 Laurence Olivier Award for best performance in a supporting role in a musical.

Stagecoach Theatre Arts Denbigh principal Jane Heckman said Millie was “delighted” to be performing in the show.

“She’s a big fan of the film and she was absolutely ecstatic to find out she’d landed the role in the musical,” she said.

“Millie has trained very hard over the past year and this is a great reward for her efforts.”

Alongside Millie, Shrek the Musical stars Dean Chisnall as beloved swamp-dwelling ogre Shrek, the role he previously played in the West End, Faye Brookes as damsel in distress Princess Fiona, Idriss Kargbo as Shrek’s wisecracking sidekick Donkey and Gerard Carey as pint-sized villain Lord Farquaad.

The curtain goes up on Shrek the Musical for the first time tonight, Wednesday, November 25, and it will run until Sunday, December 6.