Actress Jessica Daley Saves Evita Performance with Last-Minute 150-Mile Journey

Daley, previously acclaimed for her role in Evita, steps in for ill performers and receives standing ovation for her impromptu performance.

Actress Jessica Daley drove over 150 miles from Middlesbrough to Leicester's Curve Theatre to perform as Eva Peron in the musical Evita, after both the leading lady and her understudy fell ill.
Daley, who had previously led the international tour of Evita in 2019 to high acclaim, performed the demanding role from the side of the stage.
Despite the last-minute nature of her performance, Daley received a standing ovation from the audience and was described as a 'diamond' by the theatre.
The leading lady, Martha Kirby, and her understudy, Chumisa Dornford-May, were too ill to perform, but Dornford-May has since recovered and will return to the stage.
Daley has also performed in stage versions of Billy Elliot, An Officer and a Gentleman, and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.