From the Three Degrees to three wishes - soul diva Sheila Ferguson is all set to cast her magic as the fairy godmother in this year's Norwich Theatre Royal pantomime.

The star - whose hits with the Three Degrees included When Will I See You Again and A Woman In Love - has been having a great time visiting Norwich ahead of taking to the stage in Cinderella this coming festive season.

'Ever since I got here everybody has been so nice! I feel very much at home,' said Philadelphia-born Ms Ferguson, who lived in England for 30 years before moving to Majorca.

She said she was looking forward to returning to the Theatre Royal stage for a second time, having previously performed there in the show Soul Train in 2000, and that this year would be the fifth time she has played the fairy godmother, her favourite pantomime role.

'I play it very street-cred, like Whoopi does in Sister Act,' she said.

'It's not the Disney kind of fairy godmother. It's the street-cred fairy godmother, like 'yo, what's happenin?' but within the confines of the script obviously.'

Ms Ferguson said she liked playing the fairy godmother slightly differently each time depending on the script, and that she could not wait to find out what writer Richard Gauntlett had in store with the Theatre Royal version of the fairy tale.

'I've heard little snippets and it sounds very original, and very, very different so I'm looking forward to it very much,' she said.

• See Tuesday's paper for the full interview with Ms Ferguson.

• Cinderella is at Norwich Theatre Royal from December 17 until January 19. For more information or to book tickets visit www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk or call 01603 630000.

• Norwich Theatre Royal is also holding its annual free open day on Saturday from 10am until 4pm. Visitors can take a tour and take part in games and activities. The venue will also be selling some of its surplus costumes.