Sleep is to play the child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium. He will replace the current actor in that role, Derek Griffiths, for three months, beginning July 24.
Sleep began his stage career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet, before moving on to form his own dance group, appropriately called Dash. He famously danced, on the stage of the Royal Opera House, with Princess Diana. Sleep also starred in Cats and Song and Dance, both by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
A new generation were made aware of Sleep via the film “Billy Elliot,” where he is referred to as a role model by Billy.
