It really was a case of Memory for Suffolk’s West End star Ruthie Henshall yesterday when she took a group of pupils from St Joseph’s College to see the touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats at the Ipswich Regent.

The pupils were raising money for the Suffolk Family Carers charity, of which Ruthie is patron.

After the performance Ruthie introduced the pupils, including her daughters Lily and Dolly, to the cast who answered questions about the production, elaborate make-up and the difficulties of keeping in time with the music when the orchestra is housed in the car park.

Ruthie made her West End debut in Cats playing the part of Jemima before going onto play four other marvellous moggies including Grizabella, originated by Elaine Paige, who shares the hit song Memory with Jemima. Afterwards she said: “I had a massive dose of deja vu. I was surprised by how much I remembered. But, it was a great way to introduce children to theatre and wonderful way to raise funds and awareness of Suffolk Family Carers.”