An all-star cast of West End favourites has been assembled for a musical theatre benefit concert in aid of the Lewis Sewell Memorial Trust this month.
Hosted by David Wilkes, the For Good concert at the Actors Church St Paul’s in Covent Garden on 22 April will feature: Nikki Bentley (Wicked, Mamma Mia!), Laura Pick (Wicked, Anyone Can Whistle), Samantha Thomas (Wicked, Les Misérables), Charli Baptie (Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera), Ollie Wray (Les Misérables), Nick McLean (Annie Get Your Gun, Avenue Q), Carl Man (& Juliet, We Will Rock You), Olivia McBeth (recording artist), Alexander Lodge (The Book of Mormon, Titanic), Georgia Lennon (The Osmonds Musical, Lady Chatterley’s Lover), Sophie Isaacs (Six The Musical, Kinky Boots), Jo Napthine (Made in Dagenham, Mamma Mia!), Anna Stolli (Kinky Boots, Mamma Mia!), Sorelle Marsh (Come From Away, Mamma Mia!), Kara Lily Hayworth (Cabaret, Cilla) and Kris Hedges-Manuel (Matilda the Musical, Billy Elliot).
With musical direction by Tom Arnold, the evening of songs from some of the West End’s best-loved musicals will also feature the West End Gospel Choir and students from Laine Theatre Arts and The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama.
Paying tribute to the young actor who inspired the Lewis Sewell Memorial Trust, producer Mark Robert Petty said: “This concert will be a celebration of Lewis’ life and will feature songs, readings and speeches dedicated to Lewis’ memory and legacy with the Lewis Sewell Memorial Trust.”
Theatre-loving Lewis Sewell spent a decade with Derby Youth Theatre and several years with Inspire Academy in Nottingham. A student at Bilborough College in Nottingham, Lewis had been preparing for auditions at prestigious drama schools including Central, RADA, LAMDA and Guildford when the pandemic struck.
Lewis was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and despite prolonged chemotherapy Lewis passed away in August 2020. During his time in hospital Lewis came up with the idea of supporting young people to access auditions for theatre schools by offering financial and emotional help. He was instrumental in setting out the criteria for his awards and for the three tenets of ‘Courage, Positivity and Resilience’ that form the basis of the Lewis Sewell Memorial Trust.
‘Thanks to the generosity and support from both inside and outside the performing arts world, the Lewis Sewell Memorial Trust is now able to support several young people each year. A fitting legacy to a young man who has been described ‘as not only an excellent actor but a great artistic collaborator.’
Angela Thomas
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.