A last-minute announcement brought the unexpected August bonus of a guest appearance for Lee at a late-night London gig...An Evening with Daniel Boys was the second of the latest season of popular Live in the Delfont Room cabarets from producer Joel Marvin at the Prince of Wales Theatre, and for his first such gig since his Trafalgar Studios cabarets in 2011 (at which coincidentally Lee was also a guest), Daniel had gathered a very talented group of friends in support, including his musical director, Jennifer Whyte, on piano.
The format of the evening was one familiar to Lee's fans - a collection of songs from shows Daniel has been in and of songs he simply loves to sing - and was very warmly received by the enthusiastic Delfont Room audience. In the first half, he was joined by his co-star from the recent Bolton Octagon production of 'Love Story', Lauren Samuels, along with three of the actor-musos from the show, Nick Trumble, Jen Douglas and Holly Ashton, providing a string section for two of its musical numbers - a solo for Lauren in 'Nocturnes' and the emotional duet 'Everything We Know'.
In the second half, a guest reshuffle was required to ensure a last train could be caught, and Rebecca Lock stepped up the order a little, joining Daniel in a very funny, and very good, version of 'Baptise Me' in tribute to the home show of the Delfont Room's parent venue, in other words, 'The Book of Mormon'. Then the laughter quietened as Daniel spoke movingly of the musical 'The Famished Land' - book by James Patterson, music by Jennifer Whyte, and lyrics by her father, Robin, and of the showcase performance given earlier this month to ensure that Robin, now suffering from cancer, would see it staged. There were tears in his eyes as he sang 'Pick Any Star' from the show.
In another rapid mood change, he followed that up with a number from his 'Avenue Q' past before introducing his final guest of the evening, Mr Lee Mead, with whom the hilarity continued as they revealed their choice of duet. With Daniel taking the role of the green witch in a song Lee's fans have seen him sing with many different performers on his tours and the West End stage, all of them female... until now! It was a version I never thought to see, but Lee's vocals were sublime and the fun reflected the pair's obvious friendship and totally suited the occasion.
I include the full setlist, as best as I can recall it, on a separate page and below, with my thanks as always to the lovely Phill Cowndley, are some gorgeous photographs from Lee's performance - keep an eye on his website for photos from the rest of this wonderful evening. There are more photos at Broadway World West End from Liza Dawson, and Joel Marvin mentioned there may also be official video to follow... I'll keep you posted!
Lee's full concert schedule (including past appearances) can be found at - CONCERT DATES
Last updated: 30 August 2014