Just giving this a bump!
Considering his age, I think that Lee has done extremely well in his career so far.
His training was not in one of the big London drama schools but one in Southend and his CV is quite extensive.
Although Bill Kenwright said that he hadn't seen leading man potential in him when he employed him before (or something along those lines) how many 25 year olds can walk into a leading role in the West End? Unless they are an ex pop star, of course.
For Lee to be an understudy in such a big production like Phantom shows that they are confident he can deliver the goods when required.
Oh, and I am sure that I saw his Mum in Southend on Monday.