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Oh my goodness, it was even better than 2007!!

When we approached the theatre, I suddenly thought: “What if Lee has the night off???” A sigh of relief when I saw his name on the cast-list!

There’s a new narrator: Jenna Lee-James, and – oh boy – what a narrator she is! A very powerful voice especially in the high notes, she acted so well with the kids, she looks sweet and has a gorgeous figure (yes, I’m afraid you can hear the envy in those last words 😉 ). After her opening song, Inge and I looked at each other, our jaws dropped and we mimed: what a voice!
If the opening was an example of what was to come, we wouldn’t be disappointed.

The backdrop slowly went up and there he was…. the same reaction from the crowd, shouting, cheering, clapping, and the same reaction from Lee: his huge smile. Compared to last year, he seemed more relaxed. That’s only logical after so many performances. I’m sure he’s more confident about his talent and – although no one in the cast slacked – it must be more of a routine. His acting has improved, it’s more natural and he looked so at ease. Gosh, it was wonderful seeing him on stage again.

Hats off to the complete cast. Last year we sat on the balcony and there you hear the choir, the “whole”. From our seats at row H, we could hear the individual voices and they’re all great. I love the songs where the brothers sing in harmony, especially “Those Canaan Days” with the long “where diiiiiiiiiiiiiiid *deep breath* diiiiiiiiid they go“, priceless! We enjoyed Dean Collinson’s Pharaoh immensely! The guy is so good, he really brings the house down.

All too soon it was time for the final. They got a standing ovation, something you rarely see in the UK (quite different from Holland where everyone stands up as soon as the last note dies down, lol), everyone danced and sang along with the Joseph Mega-mix and when Lee rose to the top of the auditorium at his wobbly platform the crowd went completely mad. Again… that wonderful smile from Lee.

We bought some merchandise and left the theatre. I stepped out of the door, made a U-turn and was first in line to wait for Lee 🙂 There was a big crowd, but there wasn’t any pushing, which was a good thing. When Lee came out and waved, it was madness again – lol. I still don’t understand exactly what it is that makes so many people (aged 6-95) go absolutely crazy when they see Lee. Yes, he’s handsome and he has a wonderful voice, but there are more singers/actors who have the same qualities. Still, Lee manages to bring out the teenagers in every woman at the theatre (me included, I have to add).

I was frantically clicking my camera, hoping to catch at least one good picture, which is hard, as he tries to avoid the flashlights as much as possible and looks from the picture cards in his hands to the crowd, his head a bit down. All of a sudden he turned to me, looked me right in the eyes, winked, nodded, said “hello” and somehow I managed to say something back and hand him my program, which he signed…. *sigh* ROFL! Never felt more stupid in my life!! 😀 But I don’t care, it was worth it!

Felt a bid sad, as this was probably the last time I saw Lee in Joseph. On the other hand, he can’t stay in Joseph for ever and there are so many more leading roles he can play. I missed seeing him in Phantom and Miss Saigon, but who knows…
He will be in Joseph until January 2009, but I won’t be in London again until August ’09. Let’s just hope we’ll get a chance to see him then – whether in Joseph or another production.

Thank you Lee, for making my day 😀

If you’re a fan, you’re very welcome to join the Lee Mead Fanlisting!

Credits: Photographs by Tristram Kenton © The Really Useful Group Ltd 2007/2008

Posted in Blog, London, Theatre by Antoinette at Thursday, July 17th, 2008
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