West End Gala Will Celebrate the NHS 75th Anniversary at Adelphi Theatre This April

A West End Gala at the Adelphi Theatre will celebrate over 75 years of the NHS – a major milestone reached by the health service in 2023.  With All Our Hearts will commemorate this significant anniversary with an all-star cast this April.  With All Our Hearts is presented by Adam Blanshay Productions in partnership with NHS Charities Together, and is kindly sponsored by Starbucks.  This Gala is directed by stage and TV legend Arlene Phillips with Lily Dyble.  100% of the proceeds will be donated directly to NHS Charities Together, the national charity caring for the NHS. 

Strictly fantastic host Oti Mabuse (Strictly Come Dancing, BBC; Dancing on Ice, ITV) and Dr Ranj (BBC Morning Live, Strictly Come Dancing, BBC) will introduce stars of the West End including Marisha Wallace (Oklahoma!, Young Vic; Hairspray, London Coliseum), fresh off a show-stealing turn as Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls.  Award-winning stage legend Kerry Ellis (Anything Goes, UK Tour; Wicked, Apollo Victoria Theatre) joins the cast along with Tom Francis (Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre; & Juliet, Shaftesbury Theatre) and Jodie Steele (Rehab, Neon 194; Heathers, Theatre Royal Haymarket).  Actress Joni Ayton-Kent (The Prince, Southwark Playhouse; A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story, BBC); bionic arm-user and musical star Gracie McGonigal (The Little Big Things, @sohoplace; The Crucible, National Theatre); Ahmed Hamad (Standing At The Sky’s Edge, National Theatre; The Colour Purple, Birmingham Hippodrome); Preeya Kalidas (Eastenders, BBC; Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Lyceum Theatre) and Trevor Dion Nicholas (Disney’s Aladdin, Dominion Theatre; Bonnie & Clyde, Theatre Royal Drury Lane) will also take to the stage to celebrate the NHS. 

With All Our Hearts is directed and staged by Dame Arlene Phillips, alongside her associate Lily Dyble (Guys & Dolls, The Bridge Theatre).  Rob Madge (My Son’s a Queer) will be writing the show, as well as performing themselves.  The crème de la crème West End cast will be joined by the NHS Choir from Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, whose hits include Christmas Number 1 A Bridge Over You; With a Little Help from My Friends; and Holy, with Justin Bieber, which was in the Spotify and iTunes Top 5.  In November 2023, the NHS Choir sang at a reception for international nurses and midwives at Buckingham Palace, hosted by King Charles on his 75th birthday. 

Adam Blanshay comments, In recent years, the NHS has truly been a force to be reckoned with.  It has done so much for all of us, and is an institution that we should all be proud of.  It has battled through the pandemic and beyond, touching each and every single one of our lives, so I cannot say how truly excited I am to be creating this event in celebration of their historic 75th Anniversary.  With All Our Hearts is our gesture, as a theatre community, to offer our skills and our talents to help support the minds and souls of others and express our gratitude to those who have helped us when we have needed it most.  In support of NHS Charities Together, with our participating performers, we are committed to staging this night of new work and old favourites, in what promises to be an uplifting and inspirational evening of fun, music, laughter and love.  I hope you will consider joining us in building something truly unique in helping to support this fantastic organisation; a major coming together of the West End and the NHS, a place where we will always find help if we need it.

Arlene Phillips says, "I am thrilled to be directing with Lily Dyble the concert to fundraise and support NHS Charities Together which supports NHS charities across the UK.  With an evening of remarkable musical talent alongside a series of exceptional stories, With All Our Hearts celebrates the amazing work of NHS Charities Together.  Matt Brind our Musical Director is bringing exciting new arrangements to familiar songs, brought to life by thrilling casting lead by Kerry Ellis and Marisha Wallace.  The creative team are legendary in the theatre world and all I can say is, don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance."

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive at NHS Charities Together comments, "We are so looking forward to this wonderful event to celebrate the incredible people working in the NHS.  With the scale of the challenges facing health services, the extra support that we and NHS charities provide is more important than ever.  All funds raised from this inspirational gala will go towards our vital work supporting NHS staff, patients and communities across the UK, helping to provide the best possible healthcare for us all."

This West End Gala in celebration of the NHS was co-conceived by Adam Blanshay and Musical Supervisor Matthew Brind.  Adam Blanshay Productions and NHS Charities Together are committed to making the gala affordable for all with tickets starting at £16.  All ticket sales and donations will help NHS Charities Together continue their vital work supporting NHS staff, patients, volunteers and communities around the UK.  

 

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