With a sparkling showbusiness career and a young child to look after, Ruthie Henshall admits the pace of her life is crazy. But she found time to speak to JENNY SCOTT. . .

RUTHIE Henshall agrees her current schedule is madness. Seven months after the birth of her daughter Lily she is starring on the West End stage as the vampish Velma Kelly in Chicago.

Not only that, but later this month she'll be high kicking up to Manchester to take the lead role in Fosse -- a toe tapping tribute to Chicago's choreographer Bob Fosse.

Apparently, the 36-year-old Olivier Award winner hasn't heard of maternity leave.

"I don't think I know any better," she says, rather ruefully.

"All my life, all I've known is work. I just had to get back to it as soon as possible."

It's this driving enthusiasm that has characterised Ruthie's career, taking her out of the chorus line in A Chorus Line and into lead roles in just about every West End hit you can think of.

"I've been spoilt rotten," she says. "Now I don't want to do anything that isn't brilliant.

"Often I know how good a part is, but sometimes I do take a risk with things. I see them beforehand and I think, 'If I do this, I'll be going into something great'."

Ruthie's habit of excelling in plum parts, like Polly in Crazy For You, Ellen in Miss Saigon and Fantine in Les Miserables, saw her voted London theatre goers' favourite musical actress of the past 21 years in 1998.

Having conquered London, she left the West End for Broadway where she starred in Chicago and the Vagina Monologues, among other roles.

"It's funny," she muses. "American actors dream of coming to the West End and we dream of going over there. It's the other side of the coin.

"The audiences over there are very different -- much more vocal. We're quite reserved over here.

"I still miss New York, I have to say. I think of it as my second home. I would go there in a heartbeat if something came up I wanted to do."

The idea of jetting across the Atlantic with a baby in tow would strike most people as a little daunting.

But it's clear Ruthie has no intention of letting motherhood impose limitations on her career.

"Lily goes everywhere with me," she says. "I look after her during the day then Tim, my partner, takes over in the evenings."

However, more chaos is rocking the family's babysitting schedule as Tim has recently taken up the lead in the new Rod Stewart musical Tonight's The Night.

Ruthie, however, maintains a relaxed approach to her hectic life -- in public, at least. "It's a bit of a mad whirl," she laughs, "but I suppose it keeps me fit. I've more or less lost my baby weight now.

"And come Christmas, I'll get to slow down. I plan to take some time off to enjoy my family. If something great comes along I'll think about it, but I'm quite happy to be a mum."

You get the impression, however, that Ruthie's love of musicals will drag her back into the theatre before too long.

"When the Chicago role came up I felt sick I wanted to do it so badly," she says. "It was the same with Fosse.

"I saw it on video, with the American cast, and it was just so brilliant. I knew it was my kind of musical."

With songs like Hey Big Spender, Mein Herr and Mr Bojangles included in Fosse's musical repertoire, it's likely it will prove as popular with audiences as Ruthie's previous hits.

Ruthie will take over the lead role from her fellow Chicago alumna Claire Sweeney on November 24 and will remain with the tour until it concludes in Edinburgh on December 13.

Fosse will run with Claire Sweeney at Manchester's Opera House from November 17 until November 22 and with Ruthie Henshall from November 24 until November 29. For tickets call (0870) 4019000.