A YEAR ago, five-year-old Panny Frost was a painfully shy child who spent most of her time hiding behind her mum Nee.

Now she's making her stage debut at the Bristol Hippodrome, singing and dancing in front of packed audiences in the blockbuster The King and I.

Panny, of Miller Close, Middleleaze in West Swindon, waves goodbye to her fellow pupils at Salt Way Primary each day to travel to Bristol, where she is starring as one of the king's children in the glitzy family favourite.

Picked from more than 100 children to play one of the king's cheeky offspring, she is appearing alongside stage and television celebrity Marti Webb, who plays the children's governess Mrs Anna.

But a year ago, the staff at Stagecoach Theatre Arts had a job to get even a word out of her.

Panny's mum Nee, 33, said: "Panny was very different until she went to stage school. She was very shy and always hiding behind me, but since she's been mixing with the other children, she's completely changed. She's confident, bubbly and loves singing and dancing. We were thrilled when the producers of the King and I picked her to star in the show."

School principal Sheryll Dappa said: "When Panny joined us she really struggled to speak. But thanks to classes in singing, dancing and drama she's turned into a nice little bubbly student. We think it's wonderful that she's been picked to be in the King and I and we're hoping to take some of her fellow students along to watch one of her performances."

In the King and I, Panny plays a child called Trousers, and sings, plays and dances with the rest of her 'siblings' in full Thai costume.

Demonstrating one of the Thai-style dance routines she is performing, she said she was very excited about being in the show and enjoys singing in front of the audience.

Asked whether she is nervous about standing on stage in front of so many people, she said, "No".

Her mum added: "This is a brilliant experience for Panny. She's now a really confident performer, she's outgoing and she's going to be starring in a huge production.

"I'll be in the audience when the show starts and I'll be probably be nervous for her. But I'm sure she's going to have a great time."

Panny is appearing in The King and I at the Bristol Hippodrome, which opened on Tuesday, until September 28. Tickets for the show cost between £10 and £27.50 and concessions apply. To book or for more information contact 0870 607 7500 or go to www.kingandi.co.uk.