Aled Jones, Kerry Ellis and Jon Lee Sign Up for @westendproducer’s #searchforatwitterstar LIVE!

Singer, actor and Radio 2 presenter AlEd Jones is to host #searchforatwitterstar LIVE, the West End final of the online talent competition being run by the Twitter phenomenon @westendproducer.

Aled, who has recorded 28 albums, with sales of more than 6 million, has also starred on stage as Joseph in Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and played the lead role in Irving Berlin's White Christmas. He has just been announced as Lorraine Kelly’s co-host of ITV’s relauched Daybreak breakfast show from September.

In #searchforatwitterstar LIVE, 10 finalists - five male and five female - will battle it out in a live final on stage at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, on Monday 9th July to become a potential Leading Lady and Leading Man of the West End/ Hundreds of people entered the talent search via Youtube and Twitter.

#searchforatwitterstar LIVE producers have also given more details of the event. “When considering the prizes for the winning male and female contestants, the #sfatsLIVE team could think of no better prize than to provide them with the opportunity to perform with leading West End stars, live on a West End stage. So we are delighted that Kerry Ellis and Jon Lee have agreed to support the aspiring West End stars with these performances and to make the event a night to remember for the winners.”

It is also announced today that Wicked star Louise Dearman - one of the #searchforatwitterstar LIVE judging panel - will provide a demonstration in West End solo singing performance to the contestants during the final.

The #searchforatwitterstar LIVE finalists have attracted considerable support from the West End community with the generous donation of prizes and good luck video messages being posted daily by leading West End performers and show casts.

The rest of the panel of respected West End Musical Theatre experts includes West End & TV Musical Director Mike Dixon, West End Agent Gemma Lowy-Hamilton, with a fourth industry judge to be confirmed.

The live final will be attended by the normally elusive @westendproducer, who, in his imitable style, will provide his own view on the contestants and give live commentary throughout the event (whilst getting savagely sloshed on Dom and cuddling his Valjean Teddy of course).

The West End first started buzzing about the identity of who wrote the Twitter account @westendproducer last November. He appeared very knowledgeable and claimed to know secrets behind London's biggest musical shows. @westendproducer delighted in dropping heavy hints that he is in fact Sir Cameron Mackintosh. Six months on, @westendproducer has has still not been unmasked and now has more than 17,600 followers.

“This is a very serious talent search - to find genuine and new theatre talent," said @westendproducer. “It will also be a marvellous evening, and a world-first; an entire tweeting show. I'll drink to that! #dear”

It is produced for @westendproducer by Tony Green and Amy Amzel, who are reuniting the creative team behind the recent sold-out all-star Children of Eden gala concert at the Prince of Wales Theatre - Director Drew Baker, Musical Supervisor James Draisey, and Production Designer Ben M Rogers.

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