COMEDIAN Barry North and comedy magician Allen Merrell are to join Midland Musical Theatre Group in a summer concert at Malvern's Forum.

The company is hoping to raise at least £3,000 for St Richard's Hospice and the County Air Ambulance with its End of the Pier Show on Sunday, June 3.

MMTG has a winning formula beloved of Malvern audiences, combining familiar catchy songs with colourful costumes and creative choreography.

Its winter show at Malvern Theatres is eagerly awaited and usually booked up well in advance. November's presentation, Reach for the Stars, will be the 23rd annual show.

This supplementary show is following the same tradition, with 500 of the 690 seats available already sold.

"We have included in our programme some music and items which are seaside orientated and we hope it will evoke memories of the material and entertainment you would find at the end of a seaside pier," said founder and producer Robert Wilson.

The company of 24 singers and six dancers will perform numbers ranging from Gilbert & Sullivan to Grease, interspersed with comic sketches and magical mayhem.

"It's a bit of a nostalgia trip. We've introduced some sections called 'sunshine moments' that hark back to the stand-up performances you used to see on the pier, from an operatic aria to a Stanley Holloway monologue," said Mr Wilson.

The show will be presented for one night only and will start at 7.30pm. All tickets are £10 and can be booked at Malvern Theatres box office: (01684) 89227.