LEE MEAD and SKEGNESS!!!

Lee Mead and Skegness, not words I'd normally put together.

Lee Mead conjures up visions of a smooth seductive, sexy voice that gives me the shivers on many occasions; a mass of dark curly hair, a body....perhaps I'll keep the rest of those thoughts to myself!

Back to less titillating matters. Skegness. I always thought of it as a Victorian seaside resort, the faded grandeur of a few sea-front hotels, a north sea battered coastline, a rickety pier, fish and chips and sticky pink and white rock. How wrong I turned out to be.

After a pleasant long weekend in Lincolnshire, my friend, her husband and mine travelled to Skegness, arriving in time to grab a drink before the show started at 7.30. For one night only Lee Mead the winner of Any Dream Will Do. The men had planned to find a nice hotel bar, hunker down there and wait for us to finish out Lee fix. They were dressed respectably, as only husbands can on occasions, but one look at the brash resort, filled with bulky men covered in tattoos, wearing shorts and garish 'T' shirts and they were hotfooting it into the theatre to purchase tickets. (Apologies here to anyone who lives in Skegness, and thinks it an utterly delightful resort! It just isn't my cup of tea.)

Of course they were sat way at the back while we were savoring, and somewhat salivating over a central position three rows from the front. I was surprised at how many people there were. I'd been to two previous concerts, the packed Southend, and the almost as packed Basingstoke but Skegness seemed quite a different entity to me, with a theatre catering mostly to the folks who holidayed in the town. Although taking a look around the auditorium I'd guess a fair number of people were locals and not holidaymakers at all.

There was already an air of anticipation and, as the band started playing the intro to Paint It Black, the excitement built. Then Lee bounded onto the stage dressed all in black and belted out the Stones classic - a version more akin to his hot, dark 'Any Dream Will Do' performance, than the violin laden arrangement on his first album. This was closely followed by Gonna Make You a Star (so much better than David Essex's version) and Nothing Else Matters, the title track from his second album. From then on the audience were in the zone and captivate by this gorgeous young man.

He spoke of many things in his life and his career, between numbers, chatting without a script, which is refreshing and makes each concert a new and exciting experience. This time he included a cute remark about how hot he was, and he hoped he wasn't sweating too much. Bless him, he glanced under his arms, then clamped them to his side making the audience laugh. This is a such a different Lee from the shy young man who appeared on 'Any Dream Will Do', and did do one or two quite awkward interviews during his initial tenure as Joseph. Lee has blossomed and grown over the last few years, and his voice as well as his confidence just gets better and better.

My favourite songs have to be the Musical Theatre numbers, 'Anthem' (Love him to record this), 'Jesus Christ Superstar' (brilliant he should play Judas) and of course the crowning epitome of 'Close Ever Door'. You just have to hear him sing this live to appreciate how special he is; he acts the song, you can feel the angst as he sings it and at the end his stunning voice just soars, sending shivers up your spine.

Added to this were songs from his albums, including my two special favourites, ' When I need you the Most', written by Gary Barlow and Lee's dad's favourite number 'Through The Barricades.' He also included in this eclectic mix, some standards. First a song I never expected him to sing 'Kiss'! This guy knows just how appealing to women he is, and he plays on this; his sexy dance moves making the audience scream. 'Beyond the Sea', the old Bobby Darin classic, displayed the smoothness to his voice, like rich dark chocolate- a treat we all crave but only indulge in on occasions. He then dedicated a song to his wife Denise and new daughter Betsy - the melodic favourite, 'When You say Nothing at All.' So sweet and moving.

I should add at this point that Niamh Perry, one of the girls from the Nancy show, who is now appearing in 'Love Never Dies', performed a small number of songs and dueted with Lee singing 'When the Stars Go Blue.'

When Lee mentioned the show 'Any Dream Will Do', he asked very innocently if anyone had watched it. DOH! But his words got a laugh and when he sang 'Any Dream Will Do' he didn't need the children's choir, let alone a backing track, the audience sang the accompaniment perfectly!

All too soon the show was at an end, but we were given one last song, one we recognised from the show - 'Daydream Believer', which had the audience standing and joining in as well. All in all a great night, with still more concerts to come.

My friend's husband, who wasn't a particular fan said at the end "Boy can that young man sing". I think that sums Lee up very nicely.

credit for photo- Lee Mead Music

JOSEPH'S TECHNICOLOUR DREAMCOAT

I'm not really a fan of reality TV, but last year I watched and very much enjoyed the search for a girl to play Maria and star in a new production of the Sound of Music in London's West End. Therefore when a new programme Any Dream Will Do, started up in the spring of 2007, once again with Andrew Loyd Webber's involvement, I decided to watch it. Am I glad I did! This time it was to find a new Joseph to follow Donny Osmond and Jason Donovan.

I admit I don't remember much about the first episode when the initial applicants were whittled down from thousands by Andrew, along with John Barrowman and Denise Van Outen, both of whom have often starred in musicals on the West End Stage. However from the second episode one particular young man, Lee Mead, caught my eye. After performing with 19 others at Andrew's theatre, attached to his castle in Ireland, Lee made it into the final twelve. From then on the production was moved to a studio and the twelve contestants had to perform weekly before a judging panel and an audience, with the viewers voting every week for who should go through. Although when it came to the 2 with the least votes, Andrew had the opportunity to save one to go through to the next round.

The first time Lee walked down the steps onto the stage and started to sing I knew he was the quintessential Joseph. He had it all: a wonderful voice, great looks, a fine physique and the most amazing stage presence. Lee has the unique ability to interpret a song and make it his own. As the other judge, Zoe, a singing coach, said Lee looks like an angel and sings like an angel. Not surprisingly Lee was never in the last two and was always voted through straight away.

In my opinion, and the opinion of everyone I knew, Lee was the young man who should win the part and to our delight he did. In no time at all the new production was booked up for six months ( the length of Lee's initial contract) and he was immediately signed on for another six months. Tickets became like gold dust. But thanks to e-bay, last week I was lucky enough to sit in a prime seat in the stalls and see him perform as Joseph in Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the Adelphi Theatre in London.

From the moment he appeared, to be greeted by loud cheers, Lee captivated the audience. The production and the cast is superb. It is a bright, colourful production with great costumes and a joyous energy that is totally seductive. It is immensely entertaining and also amusing. Everyone taking part seems perfect for their role and are obviously enjoying themselves immensely. However, most of my superlatives must be for Lee himself, the best Joseph ever, he was born to play this role. His megawatt smile when he first appears shines out from the stage. It is so obvious that he is living his dream and that he is treasuring every moment.

Ladies, he is even more gorgeous in the flesh, with stunning good looks, surrounded by that tempting cluster of curly dark hair. His voice sounds even better in the theatre than it does on TV, with a strength and resonance that is captivating. He's a great actor and a consummate performer who imbibes every song he sings with so much powerful feeling and the boy moves so sexily as well! He perfectly portrays a rather arrogant young man, his father's favorite, who inspires nothing but jealousy from his many brothers. Their jealousy increases when his father presents Joseph with a wonderful coat of many colours. Eventually they set upon Joseph planning to kill him, but instead decide to sell him as a slave.

Joseph is sent off to Egypt where he becomes the slave of a rich man and works his way up in the household until the man's wife decides she wants Joseph for herself. It is at this point that Lee is stripped down to just a skimpy loincloth and ladies you'll lust after him even more. He looks great with just the right amount of well defined muscles.

He's is dragged off reluctantly(his horror here is a delight to behold) to his mistress's bed, but her husband discovers them and Joseph is cast into prison, maybe forever.

It is at this point that Lee sings Close Every Door, in the most exquisite, husky and heartrending way, with a voice resonating with intense feeling. I would wager no one has ever sung this song better. At the end, when his voice soars to a crescendo, shivers ran up my spine. Fortunately it is discovered that Joseph can interpret dreams and he is taken before the Pharaoh (A great Elvis impression here by Dean Collinson) The Pharaoh makes Joseph his second in command, in essence a Prince of Egypt. Once again Lee looks stunning in his costume and portrays a powerful prince to perfection.

A terrible famine begins but thanks to Joseph's prophetic dreams Egypt is prepared. With their family starving, Joseph's brothers come to beg the Prince of Egypt for food, not realising it is their brother Joseph. He gives them food, but plants a stolen cup in his younger brother Benjamin's bag to prevent them leaving. Eventually he reveals his true identity and is reunited with his father and his brothers admit the error of their ways.

I cannot find enough superlatives to explain how great the show is. Lee is all that those who voted for him hoped for and far far more. He most definitely has that elusive thing called star quality and I think this star is destined to soar very high. As John Barrowman said, he is destined to light up the West End stage for many years to come.

This is a show you will go to see and immediately want to return to see time and time again. I've already got two more sets of tickets booked. I can recommend it most highly, it is the best musical West End production I have ever seen.

Deanna

Thanks to RUG and Tristram Kenton for the photos.