McElderry to star in Dirty Dancing gala performance

The producers of the smash hit musical Dirty Dancing are delighted to announce that Teenage Cancer Trust ambassador and North East patron Joe McElderry will be joining the cast for a special gala performance at the Sunderland Empire on Tuesday 25 September, in aid of the charity.

The Geordie singer, whose new album Here’s What I Believe will be released on 10 September, will perform the iconic Dirty Dancing finale number Time of My Life. There will be bucket collections before and after each show during the week of 24 September, with all with all proceeds going towards supporting teenagers and young adults diagnosed with cancer across the UK.

Joe said, “Musical theatre is a huge passion of mine, and I’ve always been a huge fan of Dirty Dancing and so I’m very excited to be taking part!”

Dirty Dancing producer Karl Sydow said, “We are thrilled that Joe is joining us in Sunderland! I have personally supported the Teenage Cancer Trust for a number of years and I’ve seen at first hand the difference the specialist units can make to the lives of young people affected by this disease.”

Dirty Dancing will run at the Sunderland Empire from Tuesday 18th September – Saturday 6th October 2012.