Les Dennis, who is joining the Hairspray tour
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Musical Cast: 1000 Voices, Priscilla, Hairspray

Further details have been announced for The Night of 1000 Voices, which celebrates its 10th anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall on 2 May 2010. Kerry Ellis, Adam Pascal and Philip Quast will lead the line-up, which features a birthday tribute to composer Stephen Sondheim (See News, 4 Nov 2009).

The event, held in aid of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research (which marks its 50th anniversary this year), will also feature The Night of 1000 Voices regulars Teri Bibb, Kenneth Nichols and David Michael Johnson, who will return with his “show-stopping” Jesus Christ Superstar.

As well as the special tribute to Sondheim, who marks his 80th birthday in March, there will also be a selection of the “most requested favourites” from the last ten years – including “You'll Never Walk Alone”, “The Tonight Quintet”, “It Ain't Necessarily So” and “Don't Cry for me Argentina”.

There will also be 'nods' to We Will Rock You and The Rocky Horror Show featuring Christopher Biggins (who co-hosts our Whatsonstage.com Awards Concert on 14 February). The evening will be hosted by Aled Jones.

Hugh Wooldridge, creator and director of The Night of 1000 Voices, said: "This evening is a must for all who love musicals. You will hear the best performers in the world performing some of the greatest songs in the world’s finest venue. Come and join in the fun and help raise funds for a splendid charity whilst raising the roof of the Royal Albert Hall."

Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical has announced that, from 8 March 2010, Jason Donovan (Tick) and Oliver Thornton (Adam) will be joined by Don Gallagher (The Producers, Les Miserables) as Bernadette (replacing Tony Sheldon), in the recently extended run at the Palace Theatre (See News, 27 Jan 2010). 

Adapted from the 1994 Oscar-winning cult Australian film starring Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving and Terence Stamp, Priscilla follows Sydney drag queen Mitzi (aka Tick) and her two fish-out-of-water friends, Felicia (Adam) and transsexual Bernardette, as they head west across the desert to Alice Springs in their battered old bus.

The cast, from 8 March 2010, also includes: Portia Emare, Emma Lindars and Charlotte Riby as the three Divas, Newley Aucutt as Miss Understanding, Yvette Robinson as Marion, Steven Cleverley as Farrah and Young Bernadette, Daniele Coombe as Shirley, Tristan Temple as Jimmy, Kanako Nakano as Cynthia and John Brannoch as Frank.

Full casting has been announced for the national tour of Hairspray, which kicks off at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on 7 April 2010 (previews from 30 March).

Joining Michael Ball, Michael Starke (replacing Phill Jupitus) and Brian Conley, who will alternate in the role of Edna Turnblad are: Les Dennis (Eurobeat) as Wilbur, Danny Bayne (Grease is the Word) as Corny Colllins, Liam Doyle (High School Musical 2) as Link Larkin and Laurie Scarth as Tracy Turnblad.

Other cast members include: Sandra Marvin (Motormouth Maybelle), Gillian Kirkpatrick (Velma Von Tussle), Wayne Robinson (Seaweed), Emma Dukes (Penny Pingleton), Clare Halse (Amber Von Tussle) and Seliza Sebastian (Little Inez).

Following Cardiff, the tour continues until 9 January 2011 to Glasgow, Southampton, Wolverhampton, Leeds, Manchester, Plymouth, Liverpool, Sunderland, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Birmingham, Dublin, Bradford and Edinburgh (See News, 10 Aug 2009).

The current West End production of Hairspray finishes at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 28 March 2010.

- by Theo Bosanquet

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