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10-minute delay hits TV winner
By Anna Davis, Evening Standard 18.07.07
The opening night of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was hit by technical delays. 'That's theatre,' said BBC talent show winner Lee Mead
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A technical hitch halted Lee Mead's debut in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - amid speculation the show was "sabotaged".
The apparent failure of the revolving stage floor caused a 10-minute delay on the musical's opening night.
The performance was stopped after just six scenes and the audience in the packed Adelphi Theatre in The Strand was kept waiting while the problem - believed to concern the rotating floor - was fixed.
It came days after a preview was halted by technical problems at the interval, forcing the cast to give a chorus line performance of the musical's second half. Show insiders were puzzled by the failures, and feared deliberate damage because of a dispute with stagehands over pay and conditions.
But 26-year-old Mead, who was picked for the role on BBC reality show Any Dream Will Do, was philosophical about the delay and said: " That's theatre, that happens." He added: "It's been hard work and it's a relief it's over. I am surprised how calm I am."
The audience gave a standing ovation. John Barrowman, one of the TV show judges, said: "These things happen in theatre. Lee was absolutely fantastic. The public made the right choice." Denise van Outen, also a judge, said: "I loved it. It was fantastic. Lee looked so good."
The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical has taken a £10 million box office advance.
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