While many of us took the opportunity over the Christmas break to put up our feet and eat far too many mince pies and mountains of cheese, Daniel Lee (Y5) was instead busy taking to the stage as Tiny Tim in Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol at the Queen Elizabeth Hall at London’s Southbank Centre.
Daniel’s run of 14 shows, which comes to an end this weekend, has proven an unforgettable experience that the young actor describes as “fun, exciting and quite nerve-racking” all at the same time. Appearing alongside Robert Bathhurst (who many will recognise as David from Cold Feet) was just one of many memorable moments, and he will remember with fondness the cast and crew, who have been hugely supportive and friendly throughout. Not to mention the many friends he made along the way, particularly his on-stage dad, actor George Maguire, and the other young actors playing the part of Tiny Tim.
Daniel admits that taking to such a large stage alongside some famous actors was nerve-racking. Still, he found that focusing on his role and the all-important (and hard to master) Southern American drawl (which we are reliably informed he performed to perfection) helped him to keep his focus. He received lots of advice and learned many lessons from the cast and crew, including that it is okay to make mistakes; however, he was determined to do his very best and not let anyone down.
Daniel was also delighted that so many friends and family came to see him in the musical. He told us, “It was so nice to have their support.” And they were not disappointed, with only praise for his performance.
“It was great. I loved all of it.”
“Daniel was brilliant!”
Now that Daniel has experienced the big stage, he is fired up to perform in even more musicals, as he simply loves acting. We look forward to seeing whatever comes next for this young talented actor.
