Lee Mead has spoken of his pride about appearing in hit West End musical Wicked, a show he admired as a struggling performer.

The Any Dream Will Do winner told the Sunday Mail that he tried to check Wicked out when it first opened in New York and he was performing there as a rookie, but it was all sold out.

Now, he said he is thrilled to be appearing in it himself.

“I think of myself as really lucky as [Wicked] has taken the whole world by storm,” Mead remarked.

However, given that he now performs in eight shows a week, he added that he does have to take an occasional afternoon nap to keep up with the musical and his baby daughter Betsy.

Mead is sure to be glad of his forthcoming five-week holiday and told the newspaper he may spend some of it in Tuscany with his family.

Wicked broke a box-office record in June 2010 when it was revealed that it has grossed £100 million since opening in September 2006.

Wicked Tickets London.

Save $10 on Wicked Ticket Orders over $350! Code AFF$10

More visitors than ever went to West End Live last week

The free theatre festival West End Live attracted a record number of visitors this year, new figures have revealed.

Some 250,000 people flocked to Leicester Square in order to get a taste of some of theatreland’s hottest shows, including Legally Blonde, Wicked, Love Never Dies and Avenue Q.

It is thought that this could tempt people to purchase an extra £2 million worth of theatre tickets in the coming months.

Westminster councillor Robert Davis said: “Without doubt, this has been our biggest and best West End Live. We’ve seen spectacular performances from some of the nation’s favourite shows.”

According to WhatsonStage.com, the festival was so popular that people were queuing at 04:00 BST on Saturday (June 19th 2010) to make sure they managed to catch their top musicals and plays.

Last month, Legally Blonde star Sheridan Smith told the London Evening Standard she thinks West End Live provides a nice taster for people who are unsure which shows they want to see.

Buy Wicked London Tickets Online.

{Via UK Theatre Tickets}