An actor travelled more than 150 miles to ensure a performance of the musical Evita could go ahead after the lead and understudy became ill and could not perform. Jessica Daley stepped into the breach to perform the starring role of Eva Perón after the Curve theatre in Leicester put out an urgent call for a replacement. Staff had spent the day trying to find an actor who could play the Argentine political figure for a 7.30pm performance on Saturday. Daley travelled from her home in Middlesbrough to sing the demanding part in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s play, which follows the central character from childhood to her rise to power as the second wife of Argentine president Juan Perón. Martha Kirby and her understudy, Chumisa Dornford-May, were too ill to go on stage, although Dornford-May has since recovered and will return for Sunday’s performance. The theatre shared a picture of Daley receiving a standing ovation, alongside the words: “She is a diamond – a huge round of applause for Jessica Daley!” Daley replied saying: “A moment. Lord,” with a crying face emoji, and has pinned the post to her X account. Audience members replied to Curve’s post to thank Daley. One fan wrote: “Amazing performance … so glad that the show could go on! Thank you Jessica … what a star!!” Another said: “She was amazing, as were the whole cast. Thank you, Curve, for pulling out all the stops to put on the show this evening. Special thanks to jessicacaca7 for being so courageous. Brilliant performance.” In 2019, Daley led an international tour of Evita to high acclaim. She has also performed in stage versions of Billy Elliot, An Officer and a Gentleman, and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Evita, written by Lord Lloyd-Webber and Sir Tim Rice, premiered on stage in 1978, while a film version starring Madonna was released in 1996. The current production at Curve theatre is a contemporary reimagining by the director Nikolai Foster, in which the first lady and spiritual leader of Argentina is restyled as a modern-day influencer.