Leesa Tulley leaves Theatre Café Diner mid-shift to perform in West End Six

As you can imagine for many freelance performers, having intermittent contracts means finding other jobs when not on stage.

Such is the case for Leesa Tulley, who was recently announced as set to lead the world premiere of new musical Why Am I So Single? when it opens at the Garrick Theatre later this year.

In the meantime, she has been picking up shifts at the much-loved West End eatery the Theatre Café Diner (where the staff not only serve food and drinks, but also belt out classic numbers to guests) – but that came to a sudden halt when the call came from Six the Musical’s team.

She explained on her Instagram stories: “I was just working at the Diner singing “Let It Go”, and they phoned me at ten past seven to ask ‘can you do the 8pm show tonight, as Catherine Howard in Six the Musical….’ Happy Friday!”

Saying yes, Tulley hotfooted it from the Diner to the Vaudeville Theatre mid-shift – appearing in Six (she had previously covered the show on tour) with less than an hour’s notice.

It goes to show how likely it is that, if you go to the Café Diner, you might just be in the presence of West End leading lights.