STARS of the West End stage are lending their voices to an appeal to raise money for a cash-strapped hospice.

Members of the London casts of Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables are heading north this summer to give a night to remember on Teesside.

Yesterday, they sent their vanguard to Middlesbrough in the form of John Gladstone Smith, director of music for The Beautiful Game, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton's West End show about football.

Mr Gladstone Smith said: "This is a one-off opportunity for the thousands of theatre goers throughout the North to sit back and enjoy the sounds of the West End musicals on their own doorstep."

The show, organised to raise funds for the Teesside Hospice, will be held at the Middlesbrough Football Club's Riverside Stadium on July 21.

"I think Middlesbrough's magnificent stadium will be the perfect setting for a very special evening," said Mr Gladstone Smith.

Theatre celebrities will be accompanied by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

The performance will include songs from the King and I, Chess, The Phantom of the Opera, The Beautiful Game and Les Miserables.

The show will end with a firework finale to the music of Les Miserables which, officially, is the most popular show in the world.

Boro head coach Terry Venables admitted: "I love the North-East but one of the things I do miss about London are the West End shows. I think this is a fantastic idea to bring the musicals here.

"I'm sure it will be a great success."

Sandra Young is director of nursing at the Teesside Hospice, which provides a range of services such as home, day and in-patient care, education and counselling services, which cost £1.3m a year.

She said: "This concert can play a crucial role in raising not only much-needed funds but our profile too. It's an opportunity for the people of the North-East to enjoy a memorable evening in the knowledge that they are supporting a very good cause."

Advance tickets are available from the Get It Centre on Albert Road, Middlesbrough, opposite the town hall or by telephone (01642) 358087 or 659999 for corporate bookings.