Broadway veteran Jim Dale was on hand for the annual St. George's Society of New York benefit. Dale was last seen on Broadway in The Threepenny Opera. Other Broadway credits include Candide, Joe Egg, and Barnum. Many others will know Jim Dale as the voice of the Harry Potter audio books and the narrator on ABC's Pushing Daisies. The St. George's Society of New York held its 238th annual benefit Friday, April 25th at the famed Rainbow Room. This year's honorees were international best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford, OBE, and President and CEO of AIG, Martin Sullivan, OBE. The festive mood of the evening was set during the cocktail hour with a special appearance by Monty Python's Knights of Spamalot all the way from Broadway to Rockefeller Center. St. George himself, the patron saint of England, also stopped by for cocktails and a photo op. The Master of Ceremonies was the CW11's own Jim Watkins, who joked with the audience about being a Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Jim Dale, famed actor and member of the St. George's Society, presented the Medal for Excellence in the Arts to Mrs. Taylor Bradford. It was a surprise for Mrs. Taylor Bradford to learn that she was the first woman ever to be honored by the society since its foundation in 1770! Mr. Sullivan was presented his Medal of Honor by his friend Dr. Henry Kissinger, who made a speech to an utterly captivated crowd. Nicola Congiu, international singing sensation and heartthrob, serenaded the adoring crowd later in the evening. Guests were standing in their seats as Nicola (aka. Niko) played the guitar, piano and crooned with equal finesse. 300 people attended the event and $300,000 was raised for the aid of impoverished and handicapped British citizens living throughout the New York metropolitan area.
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