Halfway to Paradise - The Billy Fury Story
In the sixties Billy Fury enjoyed a string of some two dozen hit singles and most of them are featured in this musical presentation.
Colin Gold in the touring production of Halfway to Paradise - The Billy Fury Story
An exponent of the beat ballad, Fury boasted smouldering good looks, a magnetic stage presence, wrote some of his own songs and was still making good records right up to his untimely death at the age of 42, in January 1983.
His backing band from the seventies, Fury’s Tornados, teamed up with Colin Gold, who appeared as Fury in TV’s Stars in Their Eyes, and the resultant show is now celebrating its tenth anniversary tour.
Gold seems to slip easily into his role as he strolls on stage in a bronze jacket and adopts Fury’s trademark posture, collar raised, coat slung over his shoulder, as he manipulates the microphone stand.
More importantly, he possesses the vocal technique and range to do full justice to all those classic recordings, from the rock’n’roll of Don’t Knock Upon My Door, to the emotive Halfway to Paradise and the slow, sentimental Maybe Tomorrow.
Besides providing solid support for Gold, the four band members have moments of their own and prove to be first-rate musicians. Keyboard player Charlie Eston, who was Fury’s musical arranger, plays a classy piano piece and guitarist Chris Raynor sings a moving number he recently wrote about Fury. Bass guitarist Graham Wyvill is equally at home on electric and stand-up versions, whilst John Raynor impresses on the drum kit.
This performance is a worthy tribute to a genuine pop star.
Production information
- Management:
- Paradise Productions
- Cast:
- Colin Gold
- Website:
- www.billyfurystory.com
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Run sheet
- Festival Edinburgh
- April 3 2004
- Grand Theatre and Opera House Leeds
- July 25 2004
- Albert Halls Bolton
- September 17 2004
- Festival Malvern
- September 25 2004
- Beck Hayes
- October 1 2004
- Wyvern Swindon
- October 3 2004
- Prince of Wales Cannock
- October 9 2004
- Queen's Hornchurch
- October 10 2004
- QEH Bristol
- October 10 2004
- Theatre Royal Norwich
- October 28 2004
- Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
- November 22, 22 2004
- Auditorium Grimsby
- December 4 2004
- Empire Liverpool
- March 2 2005
- New Wimbledon London
- March 29 2005
- White Rock Hastings
- April 25 2005
- Mayflower Southampton
- May 7 2005
- Capitol Horsham
- May 8 2005
- New Hull
- May 21 2005
- De Montfort Hall Leicester
- June 2 2005
- Princess Hunstanton
- July 23 2005
- Hall for Cornwall Truro
- September 15 2005
- Memorial Frome
- September 16 2005
- Alexandra Birmingham
- September 18 2005
- Cliffs Pavilion Southend-on-Sea
- September 27 2005
- Ashcroft Croydon
- September 29 2005
- Royal Spa Centre Leamington Spa
- November 3 2005
- Gatehouse Stafford
- November 4 2005
- Lyceum Crewe
- November 6 2005
- St George's Concert Hall Bradford
- November 10 2005
- Theatre Royal Nottingham
- November 27 2005
- Queen's Barnstaple
- February 10 2006
- Landmark Ilfracombe
- February 10 2006
- Albert Halls Bolton
- March 17 2006
- Forum Billingham
- March 18 2006
- King's Southsea
- March 25 2006
- Music Hall Shrewsbury
- April 22 2006
- Princes Hall Aldershot
- May 13 2006
- Opera House Buxton
- June 1 2006
- Prince of Wales Cannock
- June 3 2006
- Forum Billingham
- June 10 2006
- Marlowe Canterbury
- July 22 2006
- Hippodrome Bristol
- July 24 2006
- New Hull
- April 14 2007
- Playhouse Weston Super Mare
- May 10 2007
- Plaza Stockport
- June 2 2007
- Camberley Theatre Camberley
- June 7 2007
- Alexandra Birmingham
- June 8 2007
- Beck Hayes
- June 14 2007
- Middlesbrough Theatre Middlesbrough
- July 5 2007
- Grand Theatre and Opera House Leeds
- August 26 2007
- Hall for Cornwall Truro
- September 15 2007
- Cliffs Pavilion Southend-on-Sea
- September 23 2007
- Palace Newark
- October 11 2007
- Mayflower Southampton
- October 14 2007
- Grand Swansea
- October 18 2007
- Broadway London
- November 15 2007
- Princess Torquay
- November 18 2007
- Gordon Craig Stevenage
- November 19 2007
- Castle Wellingborough
- January 31
- Opera House Buxton
- February 3
- Empire Sunderland
- February 14
- Futurist Scarborough
- March 30
- Fairfield Concert Hall Croydon
- April 30
- Pavilion Worthing
- May 8
- Music Hall Shrewsbury
- May 24
- Alban Arena St Albans
- June 6
- Prince of Wales Cannock
- June 15
- Southport Theatre Southport
- June 19
- Congress Eastbourne
- July 18
- Customs House South Shields
- September 5
- Theatre Royal Norwich
- September 30
- Princes Hall Aldershot
- October 4
- Grove Dunstable
- October 7
- Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
- November 16
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