PANTO star Sheila Ferguson was subjected to a vile racist outburst during a performance of Cinderella at the Marlowe Theatre.

A member of the audience yelled out the words "We don’t want n*****s in Canterbury" while the soul star was on stage.

Ms Ferguson launched a withering attack on the bigot and said: "I don’t take this sort of thing to heart, but the ignorance of some people is inbred, it never ceases to amaze me."

The former Three Degrees singer alerted stage staff that someone in the audience had made a racist remark. But she said it had made her determined to put in an especially good performance.

Staff monitored the audience in case more abuse was hurled at Ms Ferguson, who plays the fairy godmother and is best-known for the hit song When Will I See You Again.

Emily Wood, the show’s producer, said she was "very disappointed" to learn about the incident.

* FULL STORY AND REVIEW OF THE OPENING NIGHT IN THIS WEEK'S KENTISH GAZETTE.