Jessica Daley, an English singer and actor based in Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, traveled an incredible 150 miles to act as a stand-in for Curve's revival of "Evita" after the lead and understudy who was supposed to play the role of "Eva Perón" fell sick.
The Saving Grace of The Curve Theater's Webber Musical Revival
According to a statement posted by Curve on X, formerly known as Twitter, they had exhausted all possible options throughout the entirety of Saturday, Jan. 6, after cast members playing the lead role fell ill.
Thankfully, Daley stepped in to save the theater company from this difficult predicament, coming to Leicester all the way from her house in Middlesbrough to play as the Argentinian political figure in the production's particular show at 7:30 pm that day.
"Evita," which was originally by legendary playwright and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, has a demanding vocal performance delegated to the lead part, something Daley faced head-on without fear.
The play itself is about the rise to power of "Eva Perón" who was the second wife of former Argentine President Juan Perón, founder of the "Peronist" movement and forerunner of his country's industrialization at the time.
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A Standing Ovation for Jessica Daley
Sufficed to say, Daley nailed the performance despite the short notice, as shown by Curve in a photo it posted to X of the singer getting showered with a standing ovation, writing, "She is a diamond - a huge round of applause for Jessica Daley!"
English lyricist and writer Tim Rice, who was well-known for his frequent collaborations with Webber, especially with "Evita," commented on the post and wrote: "Many congratulations Jessica! Just as important, many thanks. [The] show was going great guns anyway but hats off to all the company supporting your brilliance superbly when 2 terrific Evas were unwell."
Similarly, one of the fans replied to the post by writing: "Amazing performance ... so glad that the show could go on! Thank you, Jessica ... what a star!"
Daley has prior experience with the role bearing the fact that she led the production in the 2019 international run which gained high acclaim.
Besides this particular Webber work, Daley has also performed in live versions of "Billy Elliot," "An Officer and a Gentleman," and "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber."
