Two big names announced for this year's Big C fundraising gala with more to follow
Australian cabaret sensation Ali McGregor and Hollywood star Alan Cumming are to take part in a one-off live performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year to raise funds to fight cancer.
Both stars will be part of the Big C comedy gala held during the festival, which raises vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.
The event has been running for the last five years and has become a mainstay on the comedy circuit.
The line-up will be confirmed in the lead up to the event, and in the past has included performances from Sarah Millican, Lee Nelson, David O’Doherty, Glenn Wool, Chris Ramsey, Josie Long, Caroline Rhea, Greg Proops, Sean Hughes, Facinating Aida, Frisky and Mannish and EastEnd Cabaret.
Tickets are £18 and can be bought from edfringe.com. Sales have been strong and those interested are urged to book as soon as possible.
Producer Barry Church-Woods said: “We’re delighted to finally have Ali running the show this year. We thought we’d missed our chance when she was appointed co-Artistic Director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival last year, knowing that she’s have less spare time in her Edinburgh calendar.
“It certainly doesn’t hurt that she’s got amazing taste and is helping us pull together what we hope will be our most ambitious and successful bill since we started in 2011 – but most of all, I’ve been a massive fan of her work since she first took the stage with La Clique”.
Ali who will be in town scouting shows for her sophomore outing as festival director has long been a fan of the Big C and couldn’t resist the opportunity to take the baton from past hosts Ed Byrne and Roy Walker.
It’s a gig she should excel at given her history of staging Ali McGregor’s Late Night Variety Night Night across the globe since 2008.
Alan is in town for his Edinburgh International Festival performances of Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs and is lending his time to the event as a champion of the great work Macmillan Cancer Support deliver across the UK.
To date, the Big C has raised enough cash to pay two Macmillan nurses for a year.
