Cyndi Freeman previews her new show exclusively at The Bull tonight. MATTHEW NIXSON averts his eyes

'I think I must have been a drag queen in my last life or something,' laughs Cyndi Freeman. 'The bigger and brighter the costumes, the happier I seem to be.'

Not that you would know from her latest publicity shots ,, which feature a distinct lack of costumes. So distinct, in fact, they have been banned in her US hometown.

'The Puritan ethic is still alive and well over here,' says the 35-year-old Bostonian.

'Several newspapers actually refused to print my photos as they were too provocative.'

Readers can make up their own minds. In the meantime, you can catch Cyndi literally in the flesh at The Bull arts centre in Barnet tonight.

The American actress, playwright and comedian stars as 'a cast of thousands' in her acclaimed one-woman show, I kissed Dash Riprock!!!, as part of an Edinburgh preview season at the High Street theatre.

Described as an epic, hot-blooded tale of love, obsession and angst, Cyndi's unnamed heroine spends the show chasing the delectable Hollywood star, Dash Riprock.

'We wanted to write a passionate story. My co-writer Ellen Groves and I decided we were going to take all the feelings you find in romance novels and put them out there the way we experience them,' she explains.

'Not glamorise them but examine them, enjoy them and laugh at them. The humour comes from how silly extreme feelings will make someone act.'

So don't expect an idealised take on romance. I kissed... is more akin to Bridget Jones' Diary than a fairytale romance.

'Cinderella love stories leave me with a primal sense of self-doubt. Feeling kind of 'what is wrong with me that my life never plays out that way?''

But while Dash is a purely fictional character, he is firmly based on people Cyndi knew during three years living in Hollywood.

'We are trying to capture the vulnerability that the celebrities we know feel. The public image getting in the way of genuine human connection.

'Being offered 'more money than God' to do a Hollywood blockbuster film and the genuine desire to be part of and produce solid good work. It is easy to get lost.'

Performing alone on stage is one way of keeping your feet firmly on the ground. It does have its advantages, according to Cyndi, but also its drawbacks.

'The reason I love this style is that the performance becomes a dialogue between the audience and the performer.

'It gives me a lot of freedom. But if it bombs, and thank goodness that's not happening, it's down to me.'

With 40 shows across the country, including 24 at this year's Edinburgh Festival, Cyndi has plenty of time to perfect the show.

But how does such gushing over a man ,, albeit a Hollywood star ,, sit with her principles? She laughs: 'Even feminists fall in love and sometimes head over heels.'

Cyndi Freeman stars in I Kissed Dash Riprock!!! at The Bull, High Street, Barnet, tonight. Tickets, £8, £6 concs, are available by calling 020 8449 0048.