| Lee Mead | |
|---|---|
Performing at Andrew Lloyd Webber's Birthday in the Park, September 2008 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lee Stephen Mead |
| Born | 14 July 1981 |
| Origin | Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Genres | Musical theatre |
| Occupations | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Website | http://www.leemead.co.uk/ |
Lee Stephen Mead (born 14 July 1981) is an English musical theatre actor, best known for winning the title role in the 2007 West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat through the BBC reality TV casting show Any Dream Will Do. He is also pursuing a music career with his third album due for release in January 2012 to be followed by a UK concert tour.
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After studying at performing arts college, Mead gained his first professional stage experience in cabaret as a cruise ship singer on the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry and then in a summer season at Bridlington Spa Theatre.[1] He moved into musical theatre in 2004, playing both Levi and the Pharaoh[2] in the UK touring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Following Joseph, Mead performed in the UK tours of Tommy (ensemble and first cover Tommy) and Miss Saigon (ensemble and first cover Chris) before joining the West End production of Phantom of the Opera as an ensemble player and understudy for the role of Raoul.
While performing in The Phantom of the Opera, Mead auditioned for the BBC series Any Dream Will Do, hoping to win a six-month contract playing Joseph in the 2007 West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. From 10,000 initial auditionees, Mead was selected as one of the final 12 potential 'Josephs' who performed live on TV every Saturday night to win the public's vote.
Immediately after he won the final, a single featuring Mead, with fellow Any Dream Will Do finalists Lewis Bradley and Keith Jack, was released in aid of the BBC's annual Children In Need charity appeal. The single, featuring Any Dream Will Do (performed by Mead) and Close Every Door (performed by all three finalists) reached number 2 in the official UK singles chart.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat opened in the West End on 17 July 2007 to generally good reviews: "Lee Mead… turns out to be both talented and enthusiastic… what distinguishes him is an attractive singing voice and, coming from beneath hair that owes more to Uncle Esau than father Jacob, lots of affable charisma… last night’s audience seemed enchanted" wrote Benedict Nightingale in The Times.[3]
"Lee… was a West End star just waiting for a chance to shine… the sight of him in a loincloth almost called for the appearance of the St John Ambulance" wrote Alun Palmer in the Daily Mirror.[4]
"Mead is in excellent form vocally" wrote The Stage's Lisa Martland. His performance of Close Every Door, "encapsulating both tenderness and defiance", was a highlight for her.[5]
After 600 performances in the role, Mead played Joseph for the last time on 10 January 2009.[6]
Following his successful run as Joseph in the West End, Mead took a short course at the famous Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York before taking on his first major play in a UK tour of Lord Arthur Savile's Crime. The play, which was adapted by Trevor Baxter in the style of a tongue-in-cheek Victorian melodrama from a short story by Oscar Wilde, opened at the Theatre Royal Windsor on 12 January 2010 and finished at the Theatre Royal Bath on 24 April 2010. Mead led the cast playing the title role alongside established performers including Gary Wilmot, Kate O'Mara, David Ross and Derren Nesbitt.
Mead went on to appear in the role of Fiyero in the London production of Wicked,[7] from 10 May 2010 to 5 February 2011 opposite Rachel Tucker as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch Of the West and Louise Dearman as Galinda, the Good Witch. Mead was nominated for the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Takeover in a Role for this role.[8]
Mead then took over the role of Emmett in Legally Blonde: The Musical in the West End from 20 June to 8 October 2011. He also made his television debut in August 2011, guest starring in Casualty BBC One as newly employed teaching assistant Harry Timms.[9]
Mead has appeared as a guest artist at a range of concerts and events.
| Date | Concert | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2007 | Concert for Diana | Performed at a concert in Wembley Stadium, London in honour of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, singing Any Dream Will Do with other former Josephs Donny Osmond and Jason Donovan. |
| 19 Aug 2007 | Andrew Lloyd Webber Gala | Performed Close Every Door and Any Dream Will Do in a gala concert recorded at the Mermaid Theatre in London for BBC Radio 2. |
| 16 Nov 2007 | Children in Need 2007 | Opened the Children in Need 2007 charity event by singing "Any Dream will Do" |
| 25 Nov 2007 | Trillogy at the Movies | Performed at the "Trillogy at the Movies" concert in Southend in aid of Children In Need. |
| 18 Mar 2008 | The Prince's Trust Celebrating Success Awards | Performed Any Dream Will Do and new single You and Me at an awards ceremony held in the Odeon Leicester Square. |
| 21 June 2008 | West End Live, London | Performed Close Every Door and Any Dream Will Do at West End Live, a free event held each year in Leicester Square, London to give the public a taster of a range of West End shows. |
| 17 Aug 2008 | Lyrics by Don Black | Performed Some Of Us Belong To The Stars from the musical Billy (based on the novel Billy Liar), and Love Changes Everything from Aspects of Love in a concert at the London Palladium to celebrate the work of lyricist, Don Black. |
| 14 Sept 2008 | Andrew Lloyd Webber 60th Birthday concert. | Performed four songs at Birthday In The Park in Hyde Park, London: Love Changes Everything and All I Ask of You; a duet from The Phantom of the Opera with Hayley Westenra; Close Every Door and Any Dream Will Do. |
| 5 Oct 2008 | Tribute to Ian Fleming | Performed From Russia with Love at a concert in the London Palladium in honour of the creator of James Bond. |
| 29 March 2009 | Australia Flood and Fire Benefit. | Performed Nothing Else Matters from his second album at the Palace Theatre, London |
| 10 May 2009 | Rhydian Roberts Concert | Appeared as a guest star at Rhydian Roberts' concert in the Bristol Hippodrome, singing You Raise Me Up with Rhydian. |
| 17 Sept 2009 | Longleat Safari Park | Duetted with Hayley Westenra at an event organised by Terry Wogan fans in aid of Children In Need.[10] |
| 25 Oct 2009 | Royal Albert Hall | Performed at the Helping the Heart of Music concert in aid of the PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund, singing two Marc Bolan songs. |
| 24 Nov 2008 | An Audience with Tim Rice. | Performed six songs at this event in Monaco, including four solos: Any Dream Will Do"; Anthem from the musical Chess; A Winter's Tale;and Heaven on Their Minds from Jesus Christ Superstar as well as two duets, Can You Feel The Love Tonight and A Whole New World with Emma Munro-Wilson. |
| 10 Dec 2009 | Lincoln Cathedral | Headlined the Spirit of Christmas concert in aid of the Muscular Dystrophy campaign. |
| 21 Dec 2009 | Barbican Centre, London | Performed with Hayley Westenra in her Christmas Concert at the Barbican Centre. |
| 3 October 2010 (broadcast 24 December 2010) | Hackney Empire | A Handful Of Songs: A Tribute to Lionel Bart. Performed two songs, 'From Russia With Love' and 'Do You Mind' by Lionel Bart |
| 10 October 2010 | Apollo Victoria | Apollo Victoria's 80th Birthday Concert |
| 4 March 2011 | Trafalgar Studios 2 | Guest at Daniel Boys Cabaret |
| 18 June 2011 | West End Live, London | Made his debut as Emmett from Legally Blonde: The Musical at West End Live 2011, a free annual event showcasing the best of London theatre, performing 'Chip On My Shoulder' with Carley Stenson as Elle |
Mead undertook his first solo concert in his home town of Southend in May 2010 and continued to tour the UK and Ireland during 2010 and 2011 with his own band comprising Duncan Waugh (Musical Director/Piano), Mason Neely (Drums), Carl Hudson (Keyboards), Mike Bennet (Guitar) and Oroh Angiama (Bass). A second UK tour to coincide with the release of his third album is planned for February 2012.
| Year | Tour | |
|---|---|---|
| 2010/11 | An Evening With Lee Mead | Mead launched his first solo tour in 2010 with concerts in Southend-on-Sea (23 May 2010); Basingstoke (13 June 2010); St Albans (27 June 2010); Embassy Theatre, Skegness (25 July 2010); Grimsby Auditorium (22 August 2010); Buxton Opera House (12 September 2010); Leeds Town Hall (17 October 2010); Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury (7 November 2010); New Wimbledon Theatre (14 November 2010); Derngate Theatre, Northampton (3 December 2010); Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham (4 December 2010) and Coliseum Theatre, London (19 December 2010). 2011 concerts include Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (6 February); Hawth Theatre, Crawley (19 Feb 2011); The Sage Gateshead (22 February); Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (23 February); De Montfort Hall, Leicester (25 February); Venue Cymru, Llandudno (27 February 2011); ending in Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff (12 March). Following the tour, there were further solo concerts in National Concert Hall, Dublin (31 March 2011) with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Kilworth House Theatre (16 July 2011), The Forum, Bath (5 November 2011) and Barbican Hall, London (22 December 2011). |
| Year | Tour | |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Love Tour | Bournemouth Pavilion, (11 Feb 2012); Bridgewater Hall, Manchester (12 Feb 2012); Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-On-Sea (14 Feb 2012); St David's Hall, Cardiff (19 Feb 2012); Colston Hall, Bristol (23 Feb 2012); Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool (24 Feb 2012); Symphony Hall, Birmingham (26 Feb 2012) |
Mead's first international concert tour to Japan is planned for December 2011.
| Year | Tour | |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Tomomi Nishimoto Christmas Adagio | Mead will be touring Japan in December 2011 in concert with Sojung Lee also a vocalist. Civic Cultural Centre Muse, Tokorozawa (3 December); Suntory Hall, Minato-ku, Tokyo (4 December); Mihara Performing Arts Centre "Popolo", Hiroshima (6 December); Aichi Prefectural Arts Theatre, Nagoya (8 December); The Symphony Hall, Osaka (9 December); Alpha Anabuki Hall, Kagawa (10 December); Minato Mirai Hall, Yokohama (11 December); Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara, Sapporo (15 December); City Cultural Hall, Aomori (17 December); Opera City Concert Hall, Tokyo (18 December) |
| Year | Album Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2007 | Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat | Mead's version of Any Dream Will Do was added to a special edition re-release of the 1991 London Palladium cast recording. |
| 19 Nov 2007 | Lee Mead | Mead's debut album achieved double gold status. |
| 5 May 2008 | Three and Out | Mead features on two songs on the Three and Out soundtrack, You've Got A Friend and Somebody Help Me. |
| 6 Oct 2008 | Andrew Lloyd Webber 60 | Mead's version of Any Dream Will Do features on this triple CD album of the best of Andrew Lloyd Webber. |
| 23 Feb 2009 | Connie Fisher- Secret Love | Mead duets with Connie Fisher, winner of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, singing Next Time You Fall In Love from the musical Starlight Express. |
| 9 Mar 2009 | Nothing Else Matters | Mead's second album includes a mixture of covers and new songs, including some co-writes, and a duet with Hayley Westenra. |
| 9 Nov 2009 | Bandaged Together | Mead appears on this double album, duetting with Hayley Westenra and the TOGS Chorus on We All Stand Together as well as singing All You Need Is Love. This charity album consists of a mixture of nostalgic and children's songs from years gone by. |
| Year | Single Title |
|---|---|
| 18 June 2007 | Any Dream Will Do #2 single. |
| 3 Dec 2007 | Gonna Make You A Star |
| 10 Mar 2008 | "You And Me" |
| 7 Nov 2009 | We Will Remember Them (Help For Heroes) |
| 9 Nov 2009 | All You Need Is Love (Children In Need) |
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 19 Sept 2007 | Rear of the Year accolade. |
| 16 Oct 2007 | lastminute.com People's Choice Theatre Award for Favourite Theatre Actor. |
| 18 Nov 2007 | Variety Club Award for "Outstanding New Talent." |
| 8 Dec 2007 | TV Times award for "Favourite Newcomer" |
| 15 Apr 2008 | Gold disc for debut album "Lee Mead." |
Lee Mead is patron of The Mushroom Theatre Company's charity Equal People which is based in Rayleigh, Essex and aims to bring able-bodied and disabled people together to socialise and perform.[11]
Mead also was ambassador of Vodafone's 2008 Cut It Out Campaign in 2008 which aimed to reduce bullying.[12] The campaign worked alongside the West End stage production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Children were invited to design their own 'dreamcoat' and the winning entries were then worn on stage by Mead during Anti-Bullying week.[13]
Mead has also supported a number of other charities, including the PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund; Help for Heroes; Children in Need; and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Mead was born in Southend-on-Sea to Joan (née Horning) and Stephen Mead. He has one younger brother, Casey Michael Mead, who is four years younger than Lee.
In November 2007, Mead began dating Any Dream Will Do judge, Denise Van Outen,.[14] The couple announced their engagement on 29 January 2009[15] and married in an intimate ceremony in the Seychelles in April 2009.[16] Their daughter Betsy was born on 1 May 2010, weighing 7 lb 10oz. One official photo was released to publications in exchange for donations to The Louis Dundas Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital.[17]
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