Lupus charity brings Les Mis star Home
Jeff Leyton to appear at Greyfriars Kirk this Sunday
By Thom Dibdin
Les Mis star Jeff Leyton is to return home to appear in a fundraising concert, The Butterfly and the Wolf 2, at Greyfriars Kirk this Sunday, June 1.
Jeff Leyton will be appearing in The Butterfly and the Wolf 2
Edinburgh-born Leyton starred in the role of Jean Valjean on the first UK tour of the smash hit musical when it arrived at the Edinburgh Playhouse in 1992, and appearing in some 2,500 performances of the role in total.
He returns to Edinburgh on Sunday as one of ten singers performing in The Butterfly and the Wolf 2 – a benefit for Lupus UK, the charity which funds both nursing care for those with the debilitating autoimmune disease Lupus and research into its cause.
He will be joined on stage by two other singers who have played opposite him in Les Miserables. Morag Siller played Madame Thenardier in the West End and UK tour, although the Edinburgh-born actress is possible better known for playing Rosie in Mamma Mia in the West End and on its international tour, as well as TV roles in Monarch of the Glen, Emmerdale and Casualty.
Susie Dumbreck also played Mme Thenardier on the UK tour of Les Mis. The Fife-based singer and actress appeared in the original Butterfly and Wolf concert, in March 2013, and has made her mark on the first full UK staging of Nine at the Donmar Warehouse and original Jerry Springer the Opera.
Inspired
The event is inspired by Sarah Heney, the one-time marketing manager at the Playhouse who was diagnosed with systemic lupus in 2010. A stalwart of Edinburgh’s amateur musicals scene, she now works part time with MGA.
Morag Siller (right) appeared as Rosie in Mamma Mia
Leyton said: “I have known Sarah since 1992 when she was marketing manager at the Playhouse and I was in my very first UK tour of Les Miserables.
“It’s a friendship that has lasted for years. Sarah and her husband Stewart helped me out at a point in my life when I needed friends. These days I live in Tenerife where I have my own show and this will be my first time appearing in Edinburgh since 1999.”
Big voices also appearing include Charles Munro, a regular with Scottish Opera, and MGA founder Andrew Gowland. Returning from last year’s concert are the MGA ensemble of Lara Kidd, Peter Vint, Seonaid Stevenson and Ali Colam. They will be joined by Tom Mullins and Chloe Edwards.
With a twelve musician-strong Wolf Pack behind them, under the musical directorship of Simon Hanson, this has the makings of a night to remember.
In order to increase the financial benefit of the evening, entry is by donation through the concert website: www.thebutterflyandthewolf.co.uk, which allows the charity to claim an extra 25% of income through gift aid.
The Butterfly and the Wolf 2
Greyfriars Kirk, 1 Greyfriars, EH1 2QQ
Sunday 1 June, 7pm
Entry by £15 donation through www.thebutterflyandthewolf.co.uk.
ENDS
