In 1992, at the age of 17, Lee moved to Los Angeles, where he joined a national tour of "Miss Saigon". He later worked as a dancer for Prince on the MTV Video Music Awards and toured nationally with the musical "Heartstrings". He was in the original company of the 1994 Broadway revival of "Carousel". In 1997, he received a Drama-Logue Award for his performance in "F.O.B." at East West Players, an Asian-American theatre organization in Los Angeles. With his role garnering critical acclaim, he also starred in their production of "Carry the Tiger to the Mountain".