GIG Caritas organisers were forced to frantically reschedule their Music of the Night spectacular after one of the leading soloists had to drop out at the last minute after being bitten by a spider!

West End star Sabrina Aloueche was bitten while in Southern Italy and lost her voice just the day before the concert.

It meant Gig Caritas had to reshuffle its Music of the Night production which was held at Brierley Hill Civic Hall Keith Horsfall, one of the musical directors, said: "Sabrina, who is appearing in Les Miserables, couldn't understand why she'd lost her voice. She thought it was tonsillitis and went to see her doctor. It was only after blood tests that it was discovered she'd been bitten.

"We had to re-jig everything but the 400-strong audience wouldn't have known because the evening proved a huge success and we raised in the region of £2,000 for the Stourbridge theatre group Side by Side."

The money will give a boost to the award-winning group of actors with special needs who are currently fundraising for their latest trip to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which takes place in Scotland next month.

Music of the Night featured Keiran Brown fresh from Phantom of the Opera and CiCi Howells who is performing in the Threepenny Opera.

They were accompanied by the 80-strong Sound Company Choir, Birmingham Institute of Theatre Arts plus the 30-piece Gig Caritas Orchestra.

Gig Caritas will be back up and running on October 1 at Holy Trinity Church in Wordsley in a concert featuring renowned organist Paul Carr.