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Living the dream

TV talent shows have been known to change winners' lives, and no-one knows that better than 28-year-old Lee Mead. Interview by Sophia Cruz.

When he entered Any Dream Will Do in 2007, Essex-born Lee Mead walked away with more than just the leading role in a West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He also won the heart of one of the show's judges, Denise van Outen, who is now his wife and soon-to-be mother of his baby. As he returns to the stage to star in a touring production of Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, Mead tells All About Manchester he is a very lucky man.

You became famous as the 'Peoples' Joseph' after the public voted in their millions to crown you the winner of Any Dream Will Do. Was it a conscious decision to return to the stage with something so different this year?

Not really. I finished Joseph at the West End in January 2009 and then released a second solo album. Then I went to New York to study on a film course out there, which I had wanted to do for a few years. I was in New York for three months, studying, and a couple of West End shows did come up, but it didn't feel like the right time to go back into a musical. I was waiting for the right show. Then I came back from New York and auditioned for this play, and I thought wow, this is going to be a new challenge; it's going to stretch me and it's nice to do something new, as well. And being Oscar Wilde, it's a real joy to read.

Could you tell us a bit about your role in Lord Arthur Savile's Crime?

I play Lord Arthur, the lead character. I get my palm read by a Mr Podgers, who is played by Gary Wilmot, and I'm told that I'm to commit a murder before I marry my fiancee. So I go about finding different people that I can kill. I won't give away the ending, but the audience will get to discover if Lord Arthur gets to marry his fiancee. It's a very funny play.

You're in the final week of rehearsal now. How are you finding this role?

I actually worked with the director, Christopher Luscombe, for about four weeks prior to rehearsals because it's such a huge role; I'm on stage the whole play, two hours, so there's so much to learn. And also, being Oscar Wilde, it's kind of a new language to learn.

Would you say that the language has been the biggest challenge for you?

Yes. It's like Shakespeare in the sense that you have to understand what you're reading before you can start rehearsing and then deliver a performance. It's full of classic Wilde lines and there are some nice poems, as well, in the play. Things like, "Some love too little, some too long, some sell and others buy. Some do the deed with many tears, and some without a sigh". So you have to understand what you're reading before you can translate that across to an audience. That's been a real challenge.

It sounds nerve-racking...

It's been very exciting actually. It's pushed me and stretched me as an actor, which is kind of what I wanted really, after doing the course in New York. It's 75 pages in total and I'm on every single page. I'm never off stage. The director did say the next play would seem far easier, in the sense of the enormity of the role.

What makes it a good show to watch?

First and foremost it's a great company, great cast. David Ross, Derren Nesbitt and Kate O'Mara are in it as well, so very seasoned actors. It's funny, I was talking to Kate actually, and she's in her 70s now I think, although I probably shouldn't be saying her age. But she's been going for years, and we were rehearsing the other day and she kind of said to myself and Chris, the director, "the third time that I played Cleopatra..." I thought, the third time? It's unbelievable. So it's a great cast, very experienced company. And it's a fun play, it's not too dark and heavy, it doesn't take itself too seriously and it's a nice evening out.

Do you have a dream role you'd like to do after this?

I don't really, no. I've always said, since I started working in the industry, that every job is like your last, no matter how big or small that job is, and I feel very blessed with each job that I get. Just to be in work is a big thing in itself, and every job is a new challenge. But I do want to try and do some work in film, as well. That was part of the reason for studying on the course.

You've also released two solo albums. Which do you enjoy more, singing or acting?

I like both actually. I feel very lucky that I can record and dance, as well. Quite often, if I'm doing a play or a musical for a certain period, I then get kind of itchy feet and think, oh, it'd be quite nice to record an album now. So I guess that's the fun part of it, that I can do both, and it's quite nice to have that variation.

Have you performed in Manchester before?

Yes, I did a touring production of Joseph in 2004 - that was my first musical on tour - and I played the Opera House. Then, in 2005, I played the Palace in a rock musical called Tommy - it's a great theatre and I'm very excited about coming back this year.

Are you looking forward to doing anything special while you're here?

I'll be doing some shopping and meeting with friends who live in and near the city - I look forward to having some nice dinners with them and catching some films.

You and Denise van Outen are expecting your first baby shortly after this tour. Settling down with a wife and kids is not on the agenda of many up-and-coming young actors. Is this something you've always wanted, or did meeting Denise change your priorities?

It is something that I always wanted provided that it was going to be with the right person, and that right person came along and it's made me a very happy man. I feel lucky that I have my wife and my first child to come as well. It's lovely; I'm so excited, very happy. And I've always believed that if you're happy in your personal life, it really helps your work. Career is very important, but your personal life is as important, if not more, and if you're happy in that part of your life, then it will only enhance your work.

Are you ready for the role of dad then?

Oh completely, I really am. I've read the books and prepared for that. And it's nice because this particular play finishes around the second week of April and the baby is due first week of May, so it's worked out really well.

We know the tour will keep you very busy this month, but how would you spend Valentine's Day?

It's actually very simple. I don't need to be whizzed off to Paris or anything like that. It's just great to be with my wife, having a lovely meal and watching TV or a film, with a nice glass of wine. I'm quite a simple guy in that sense.

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime runs from March 8 - 13 at the Palace Theatre. Tickets cost £16.75 - £29.50 and you can book by calling 0844 372 7272.

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