THE UK’s “First Lady of Musical Theatre” is standing on stage trying to push her blonde locks back into shape. “This outfit does nothing for the hair,” she says after shedding her turban following a cracking rendition of As If We Never Said Goodbye, as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.

A few numbers later, she’s rescuing her hair again after wearing a dark wig to stun us with Edith Piaf’s Je Ne Regrette Rien and If You Love Me.

Funny that it all really got started for Elaine with her West End debut in Hair.

So here she is celebrating 40 years in the business. And at the start of this anniversary tour, she’s showing no signs of slowing down.

She is still belting out the crowd-pleasing favourites, such as Don’t Cry For Me Argentina and I Don’t Know How to Love Him. Maybe not quite as smoothly and a just bit breathier than in her early career, but the force is still with her, and so are the fans who, incidentally, gave her a standing ovation after Monday’s performance.

There was also a pleasing mix of some of her personal favourites, including Hello Young Lovers, Cry Me A River and a fun ditty written especially for her, called Small Packages, which is dedicated to her diminutive form. She is so tiny that her powerful voice seems even more amazing.

And as she gets into her stride, especially in the second half of the show, the sweetness is back as well as the strength.

Mention must be also made of musical director Chris Egan and director Christopher Luscombe for putting together a deceptively simple production which gathered pace at just the right rate.

And yes, at the end of the performance I, too, was on my feet and cheering.

So it seems, Elaine, that after all these years, it’s a case of Hair yesterday and still here tomorrow.

Thanks for the memory, it’s been brilliant.