Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe and an Edinburgh-born musical theatre star have gone viral with their lockdown recording of The Confrontation from hit West End musical Les Miserables.
The video racked up over a million hits in just 48-hours with fans clamouring for more from Pilton-born Jeff Leyton and the Hollywood A-lister.
Leyton, who played the lead role of Jean Valjean in the stage version of the musical for over 14 years, was amazed when Crowe, who is currently at his home in the Australian outback, agreed to his cheeky offer to sing the song with him.
Crowe, who played Valjean's nemesis, Javert, in the big-screen version of the musical, recorded his vocal in one take and sent it on to Dublin-based musical director Jim Sheridan who re-orchestrated the vocals and produced the final version.
Jeff said: "Jim had sent me a backing track to the song Do You Hear The People Sing from Les Mis and he posted it on Twitter which was retweeted by Russell and was viewed over 10,000 times.
"I cheekily asked him if he'd be up for singing The Confrontation and I was amazed when he said yes.
"I'm in Germany, Jim is in Ireland and Russell is in Australia but we have done it and the response has been amazing.
"In the first 48 hours we had over a million hits.
"It's an honour to sing with an Academy Award winner.
"I'm so humbled by the response to it."
Sheridan, musical director of Irish TV channel RTE’s Late Late Show, said: "Amazing! I sent Jeff a track I was messing around with and he can back with a cracking vocal.
"I sent that to Russell for the craic saying "I'd pay good money to see him and Jeff sing together", well, Russell recorded the Javier part and it's incredible."
Crowe, who's new movie, road-rage thriller Unhinged, is topping the UK box office, tweeted: "This was such an unexpected pleasure.
"The Isolation Confrontation! Thanks to @Jim_Sheridan
for letting me join in.
"The moustache twirl is for you. What a gentleman @RealJeffLeyton is.
Track recorded in Dublin, Jeff in Germany and me here in the Australian bush."
