ELLY Jarmain was training as an opera singer in Manchester when she discovered Madonna.

Now she takes the stage nearly 200 times a year as the Material Girl. On Saturday she brings her tribute show Vogue - Experience Madonna to Ludlow Assembly Rooms.

Ask her what the magic of Madonna means, Elly sums it up as: "Attitude, fabulous clothing, fabulous dance style, an excellent voice and the whole image package."

Vogue is a nine person team. Apart from Elly, there are her husband David Williams on drums, three other musicians plus three dancers and a lighting expert.

Being Madonna four times a week is hard work. It means regularly surfing the net for the latest news on a living legend, copying her clothes and checking her songs from A New Argentina all the way down the alphabet to Your Little Body's Slowly Breaking Down.

Elly also has to be a quick change artist.

"We probably have 15 costume changes in two sets. They take in everything to do with Madonna from big Edwardian dresses to all the pointy boob stuff and the cowboy image."

She has seen Madonna on stage but is not sure whether "Madge" has paid her the same compliment.

"For all I know she may have turned up in dark glasses in the back row. If I were Madonna I'd want to check out what the tribute acts are doing," she suggested.

There will be cabaret seating and a large dance area for her two-hour show, which starts at 7.30pm. Tickets, at £12, or £10 for concessions, are available from the box office on 01584 878141.