GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK
Wednesday 25 September at 7.30pm
A tribute show in a much more authentic sense Halfway to Paradise, The Billy Fury Story, is a unique and spirited salute to the much-loved singer. In a full-on musical showcase, over two hours the sound of Fury’s Tornados packs in live all 29 of Billy’s solid senders, including Colette, I Will, Jealousy, In Thoughts of You, Halfway to Paradise, Wondrous Place, Gonna Type a Letter to You, It’s Only Make Believe, In Summer, Do You Really Love Me Too? All delivered with fond and expert flair by the guys who actually knew and latterly played with him. No-one can replace Billy of course, so luckily Colin Gold’s close vocals and seamless performance are respectfully reminiscent of our idol, minus any over the top impersonation. In addition, there’s an evocative audio-visual segment chronicling Billy’s modest upbringing to meteoric rise to fame, introduced by his last girlfriend, Lisa Voice.
Most atmospheric moment has to be when the band accompany Billy shown singing on-screen.
The band toured extensively with billy throughout the 70s, until his untimely death in 1983. The show includes giant screen footage of the band live onstage with Billy. Colin Gold’s portrayal of Billy brings his music to life once more. A show’s only as good as the audience it attracts… notably Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde and Vince Eager are amongst Billy’s musical peers to have sung its praise. Not forgetting Billy’s beloved family: his late brother Albert and mother Jean – who gave her blessing to the production – and reportedly enjoyed seeing the show twice.
Tickets from £13 from box office on 0844 871 3024 or online at www.atgtickets.com/york
