SHE mesmerised audiences on ITV’s legendary Stars In Their Eyes with her spectacular tribute to Karen Carpenter.

And Toni Lee has become the voice of Karen Carpenter with her salute to an American pop icon who as one of The Carpenters recorded some of the greatest love songs in pop music history.

The blockbusting concert theatre production of Toni’s We’ve Only Just Begun – named after one the American group’s hits – stops off at Eastleigh’s Concorde on April 23.

Part of a UK tour, it is another coup for the Stoneham Lane club, which is building a big reputation for attracting top-drawer entertainment acts.

The show moves along the south coast to The Regent Cinema & Theatre, Christchurch, on April 26.

Accompanied by an eight- piece big band and audio visuals, The Concorde audience will be treated to those timeless Carpenters hits including Yesterday Once More, Superstar, We’ve Only Just Begun, Please Mr Postman, Close To You, I Won’t Last A Day Without You, Rainy Days and Mondays, Top of The World, and Ticket To Ride.

The Carpenters were the biggest-selling group of the 1970s, with ten of their singles beoming million-sellers.

They scored an unprecedented 17 consecutive Billboard US top ten hits.

By 2005 combined worldwide sales of albums and singles exceeded more than 100 million.

Karen Carpenter’s life was one of the most fascinating but ultimately tragic stories in popular music history.

She died at the age of 32 in 1983 after battling against anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder which was little known at the time.

Death was due to heart failure caused by complications related to her illness.

Karen, who was a drummer and singer, formed the duo The Carpenters in 1970 with her brother Richard.

She had such a voice that it was difficult to duplicate.

Now though, for the first time in more than 30 years, the voice that melted a thousand romantic hearts lives again through Toni Lee.

Her two hour-long concert is a celebration of The Carpenters’ music and the spirit of Karen Carpenter.

Every song in the show is a chart hit.

The show has won rave reviews, including one which said: “If you close your eyes you can almost see Karen singing to you.

“It is as close to the real deal as you’ll ever get.”

Call 023 8061 3989 or log on to theconcordeclub.com for details of the April 23 show.