Stuart Matthew Price and James Yeoburn gather the West End's finest for a one-off celebratory gala at the West End home of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical, The Phantom of the Opera.
A press release issued in May 2011 announcing that Dress Circle was facing imminent closure caused a phenomenal response from theatre lovers who were saddened by the possibility of losing the "Greatest Showbiz Shop in the World". The shop was founded in 1978 with the intention of providing an unrivalled selection of musical theatre and cabaret related merchandise. After celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2008, Dress Circle claims to be the longest running show business and musical theatre shop in the world.
After hearing the threat of Dress Circle's closure, the London theatre community quickly rallied together to ensure a plan was put in place to try and save the beloved independent shop in Covent Garden. Beginning with a number of in-store performances and signings in June and July, the Dress Circle Benefit Gala is now confirmed to take place on Sunday 7th August at Her Majesty's Theatre produced by Stuart Matthew Price and James Yeoburn.
In honour of the 33 years of Dress Circle, Mr. Aled Jones will host the evening, featuring a cast of some of our generation's most iconic musical theatre performers from across the world. Performers include John Addison, Jonathan Ansell, Rosemary Ashe, Samantha Barks, Tracie Bennett, Simon Bowman, Daniel Boys, Rebecca Caine, Anita-Louise Combe, Kim Criswell, Josefina Gabrielle, Tiffany Graves, The Idols, Ramin Karimloo, Sarah Lark, Claire Moore, Robyn North, Landi Oshinowo, Peter Polycarpou, Frances Ruffelle, Hannah Waddingham, the original Donmar Warehouse cast of PARADE (including Bertie Carvel, Steven Page, Stuart Matthew Price and Lara Pulver), the original London Cast of AVENUE Q (including Julie Atherton, Simon Lipkin and Jon Robyns) and with further cast from both sides of the Atlantic still to be announced the Dress Circle Gala Benefit is an event not to be missed! (All artists are subject to availability)
Audiences are promised a rare treat from the assembled cast as they take to the stage of the beautifully decorative Her Majesty's Theatre to perform with a 33 piece orchestra conducted by renowned musical director and supervisor Simon Lee. This once in a lifetime evening also presents the unique opportunity to hear some of the most recognisable music in theatre both old and new, played on an orchestral scale very rarely heard in theatres, and with exclusive performances from the original cast members themselves, tickets to the Dress Circle Benefit Gala are fast becoming some of the hottest tickets in town!
The primary aim of the Gala will be to highlight the need for further investment and a development project to sustain Dress Circle's future. The Gala will not be produced at the sole benefit of Dress Circle because it is a business; instead a generous portion of the proceeds will be donated to a charity of Andrew Lloyd Webber's choosing.
Tickets to the Dress Circle Gala Benefit can be booked any of the following ways: In store: DRESS CIRCLE, 57-59 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9DG
By telephone (24 hrs): SEE Tickets +44 (0) 844 412 4657 // Dress Circle +44 (0) 20 7240 2227.
Online:
http://www.seetickets.com/Tour/DRESS-CIRCLE-BENEFIT-GALA/?src=PROMIn person: at Her Majesty's Theatre Box Office
There are a series of VIP and Hospitality Packages available to make your evening at the Benefit Gala extra special details of which can be found via the Dress Circle website. For regular updates on the Dress Circle Gala Benefit follow us on Twitter: @dcbenefit
