The cream of Brighton’s top drag talent is coming together to celebrate the musical form and help raise cash for a city Aids memorial.

From Broadway To Brighton is a new project from the team behind cult cabaret-night Absolutely Dragulous, which has been taking over the Charles Street Bar on the last Sunday of every month for the past year.

The monthly shows, starring Dave Lynn, Maisie Trollette, Lady James, Jamie Watson, Sally Vate and Connie Conway, each focus on a classic musical giving it a unique twist.

“We do it because it’s something we love,” says director Robert James, better known as Lady James. “We re-write some of the songs and turn it into our own production. We had everyone laughing at Les Miserables, which is quite difficult to do!

“It is always an absolute joy – I remember watching Maisie struggle her way through Stars from Les Miserables without knowing the words or the tune. It was a moment we hope will never be repeated...”

For this charity edition of the show the cast has selected condensed versions of their three favourite productions and a new, yet-to-be performed piece.

Each mini-musical will welcome a special guest, with Brighton And Hove (Actually) Gay Mens Chorus joining the cast for Sweet Charity, female singer Jo Francis taking on the role of Danny in Grease and Drag With No Name playing Mother Superior in The Sound Of Music.

The new addition to the programme is Gypsy, starring Lola Lasagne as Mama Rose.

As well as preparing for this show, the team also put together this past Sunday’s performance, which combined four classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals.

“None of his shows are good enough to do just one of our shows,” says Robert. “But Maisie as Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard brings the house down.”

This one-off performance is raising money for the Brighton And Hove Aids Memorial, an 11ft statue which is due to be unveiled on New Steine next month to remember those who have died from the condition.

“It is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender project paid for by individuals,” says James Ledward, editor of GScene magazine. “During the 1980s and 1990s we lost many hundreds of people to the illness. This is a way of us remembering all those people.

“In the present climate, with the new combination therapies available, people are living with the illness rather than dying, so now is a time to remember those who have gone.”

The memorial has been created free of charge by sculptor Romany Mark Bruce in his foundry in Essex.

The money raised by this event will go towards transporting the statue from Braintree and paying for the installation in New Steine.

“It is going to be a great show,” says James. “I wanted Absolutely Dragulous to do this because they are the backbone of fundraising in the LGBT community.

“Most artists taking part in a benefit just turn up for the soundcheck, then do the show in the evening. For this show the artists have done weeks of rehearsals – they have put in a lot of effort.”

* 7.30pm, tickets £15, call 01273 736222.

* Absolutely Dragulous is at the Charles Street Bar, in Marine Parade, Brighton, on the last Sunday of every month from 8pm, tickets cost £5. For more information call 01273 624091.