Petula Clark swept into Ipswich’s Regent Theatre on Friday evening for the eighth show in her whistle-stop ten-date 2013 UK tour squeezed into the first fortnight in October.

The fact that she is able to complete such a demanding schedule with this glittering and mesmerising one-woman show reflects the star quality of this internationally acclaimed entertainer .

Petula was able to beguile her audience with reminiscences of such stars as Fred Astaire, Elvis Presley, Sophia Loren and John Lennon in a programme featuring many of her hits from the past interspersed with a quite remarkable new set of songs on her new Lost In You CD.

From the CD she featured the hauntingly beautiful title song plus other original tracks like the multi-faceted Cut Copy Me, Reflections, Never Enough, Crazy and I Won’t Care plus new and emotive versions of her iconic world-wide hit Downtown, Presley’s Love Me Tender and Lennon’s Imagine.

But it was with her long-time hits that Petula really got into party mood with upbeat medleys of her classic Sixties hits.

Since beginning her recording career in the 1940s Petula has become the best-selling British female singer in recording history while also making her mark on radio, television, films and the stage.

I have been a life-long devotee of Petula Clark but in this performance I was truly captivated – Petula I was totally lost in you.

And I think that also went for an enthralled audience who gave a standing ovation to a remarkable performer who burst to prominence as a child star and can still put on a two-hour one-woman show of outstanding vivacity and style more than seven decades later.

Chris Mills