'Dream come true' for music group's Broadway show

The founder of a disability music group said securing enough money to perform on Broadway was "a dream come true".

The Music Man Project, founded in Essex, will perform in New York in October after raising £150,000 for the once-in-a-lifetime show.

It was the dream of Southend West MP Sir David Amess, who was the charity's president before he was murdered in 2021.

"My musicians are so excited, I think they've probably packed already," said founder David Stanley.

He booked the show in December 2025 during an 18-month fundraising effort, which attracted donations from across the UK.

Stanley started the group for people with learning difficulties in 1999 and watched it grow from one student in Southend-on-Sea to more than 500 musicians.

"To say that now we've got the money and we can perform on Broadway in memory of Sir David Amess is just a dream come true," he said.

The group has already performed at venues across Europe and the United States, and been enjoyed by the King and theatre star Michael Ball.

Conservative MP Sir David vowed they would one day perform on Broadway after a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019.

"I had no idea how we would do it, of course," Stanley admitted.

"But then, given the circumstances that happened two years after that announcement, I just made it my ambition, my dream."

He added: "I'm feeling incredible and I'm just so grateful."

The two-hour performance will be staged at the Town Hall Theatre on 7 October and is named Music is Magic on Broadway, The Story of The Music Man Project.

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