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"Billy" is the musical
adaptation of Keith Waterhouse's novel, film and play
Billy Liar.
Set in Yorkshire in 1960, the show follows the antics of the lead character
Billy Fisher, an undertaker's clerk who is forever dreaming of another life in
the fantasy country of Ambrosia, where he is the leader of his own private
(female) army. Billy's long-suffering parents and Gran are the subject of a
great deal of his lies, as are his three girlfriends - the dull Barbara, the
common and brassy Rita and the more refined Liz .



Director Greg Fitch
Choreographers
Jean & Jayne Cator
Musical Director Matt Clark
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Billy Fisher
- Chris Carroll |
Geoffrey
Fisher - Tony Wilds |
Alice Fisher
- Val Lofthouse |
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Gran Fisher - Audrey Fiddes |
Arthur Crabtree - Paul Woodhouse |
Shadrack - Nick King |
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Stamp - Lee Chapman |
Councillor Duxbury - John Fiddes |
Liz - Sarah Browne |
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Barbara - Emily Clark |
Rita - Sara Crowley |
Mrs Crabtree - Vicki Gale |
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Marilyn Monroe
- Jayne Cator |
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Ladies and Gents of the Ensemble
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Sue Bailey
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Ian Chisholm
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Huw Jones
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Hannah Rolfe
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Jenny Bugg
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Ian Doughty |
Clair Jordan |
Rebecca Rowe
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Hayley Carter
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Emma Gale |
Andy Lofthouse |
Nick Sparkes
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Jayne Cator
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Vicki Gale
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Joanne Madden
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Lucy Stangroom
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Lee Chapman
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Liz Ireland
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Peter Pepper
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Paul Woodhouse
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Orchestra |
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Keyboard
- Peter Chamberlin |
Trumpet - Cathy Nicholas |
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Bass Guitar - Nick Moody |
Trombone - Peter Edwards |
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Clarinet - Sarah Wright |
Percussion - Jens Raaby
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Clarinet, Alto
Saxophone & Flute - Barbara Martin |
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'little gem of a musical'
(John Lawson,
Eastern Daily Press, 2 June 2005)
This sadly
underperformed little gem of a musical from the classic Keith
Waterhouse book Billy Liar - about a northern lad who spends his
life in a fantasy world - proves an ideal vehicle for the
enthusiastic and tightly-knit Threshold Theatre Group - and in
particular for the very special talent of teenage Chris Carroll
in the title role.
(Chris) Carroll is on stage almost throughout and must maintain
the highest standards of acting, singing, comedy and pathos in
equal measures and this he achieves with an easy confidence. No
surprise, then, that he has just earned a place at the
prestigious London School of Musical Theatre. The West End
beckons...
But this show, with a book by top scriptwriters Dick Clement and
Ian La Frenais and some terrific songs by John Barry and Don
Black, is no one-trick pony. Tony Wilds, Val Lofthouse and
Audrey Fiddes offered quality support as Billy's family, while
Sarah Browne, Emily Clark and Sara Crowley brought three very
different characters to his rival girlfriends - and shared one
of the real musical highlights in their second-act trio. And
listen out for the nostalgic It Were All Green Hills and Billy's
wistful Some Of Us Belong To The Stars.
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