Anita Dobson Hosts Mercury Musical Development's 20th Anniversary Gala, Oct 14; Auction Now Live!

2012 marks Mercury Musical Developments' 20th Anniversary and to celebrate they are holding an all-star 20th Anniversary Gala Concert at the Novello Theatre in London on Sunday 14th October 2012 at 8pm, hosted by Anita Dobson.

Artists performing at the gala include Michael Xavier, Janie Dee, Claire Moore, Hayley Gallivan, Alex Gaumond, Danielle Hope, Alison Jiear, Haydn Gwynne, Sally Anne Triplett, David Bedella, Tam Mutu, Paul Kaye, Stuart Matthew Price, Lucy May Barker, James Bourne and Madalena Alberto.

In addition, Michael Ball will present the Sidney Brown Memorial Award for new musical theatre writing. An excerpt from the winning show will be performed at the Gala.

In conjunction with the Gala, there is a fundraising auction of fabulous musical theatre memorabilia and experiences, kindly donated by MMD’s members, supporters and patrons, to help them continue to create development opportunities for composers, lyricists and book writers of new musical theatre in the UK.

The online auction will be hosted by eBay where 10 lots will be auctioned online. The online auction will commence today, Thursday 11 October and end on Sunday 21 October. Details and a link to the auction can be found on the MMD website at www.mercurymuscials.com
Two additional surprise lots will be auctioned by Christopher Biggins, at the Gala on Sunday evening.

The full list of auction items now available on ebay is as follows:

1. ‘The Phantom of The Opera’ Platinum Album - A framed platinum cast album of The Phantom of the Opera, from Polydor with a dedicatory plaque to Charles Hart. Kindly donated by Charles Hart.

2. Douglas Hodge ‘Cyrano De Bergerac’ on Broadway Tickets - House seats to see Douglas Hodge in Cyrano De Bergerac on Broadway* and an opportunity to meet Douglas in his dressing room after the show. Kindly donated by Douglas Hodge.

3. Don Black ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ Lyrics – Signed, hand-written lyrics for the classic James Bond theme song ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ by Don Black. Kindly donated by Don Black.

4. Lea De Laria ‘Live at the Hippodrome’ Tickets - Two tickets to see Lea DeLaria at the new home of Cabaret in London, The Matcham Room at the London Hippodrome, 12th - 17th November 2012 and anopportunity to meet Lea after the show. Kindly donated by The London Hippodrome.

5. ‘Les Miserables’ movie prop signed by Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe - Your chance to own a piece of musical theatre history; Jean Valjean's ticket of leave from the forthcoming movie of Les Miserables, signed by Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. Kindly donated by the producers of the film of Les Miserables.

6. ‘Marry Me A Little’ vinyl cast album signed by Stephen Sondheim – Kindly donated by The Stephen Sondheim Society.

7. ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Gold Album – A framed triple gold cast album of Jesus Christ Superstar from Sweden, signed by Sir Tim Rice on the reverse. Kindlydonated by Sir Tim Rice.

8. ‘The Sound of Music’ at Regents Park Open Air Theatre Tickets - Two tickets for next year‘s production of The Sound of Music at Regents Park with complimentary glass of champagne and programme. Kindly donated by Regents Park Open Air Theatre.

9. ‘Walking With Dinosaurs - The Live Spectacular’ Tickets - 4 complimentary tickets to a UK performance of the successful bidder's choice, followed by a VIP backstage tour. Kindly donated by Global Creatures and Warner Brown.

10. Adam Guettel ‘Millions’ Manuscript Score Sheet – Signed, hand-written single manuscript score sheet from Adam’s new musical ‘Millions’ based on the film by Danny Boyle. Kindly donated by Adam Guettel.

*(N.B.Flights and accommodation are not included)

The Gala performance begins at 8pm on 14 October 2012. Ticket prices: £12.50, £25.00, £35.00 & £45.00. *Tickets booked online or over the phone are subject to a £2 per ticket booking fee. Call the box office at 0844 482 5171 or go online at www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk.