... Gay club wins licensing battle A GAY club in Cardiff city centre, which presents cabaret acts and live music, has been told it can remain open until lam despite police objec tions. By DEREK WAYLAND The Red Dragon, near Cardiff's main railway station, successfully applied to extend its public entertainments licence from midnight. Police were opposed because they felt it would add to their ...

... The show goes on IN TRUE showbiz tradition the show had to go on for a South Wales panto company thrown into turmoil by the sudden illness of one of its leading characters. Former Black And White Minstrels star Bryn Williams, who played the Captain in Stan Stennett's production of Dick Whittington at Porthcawl's Grand Pavilion, was taken ill at his Cardiff home and rushed into hospital with ...

... New look SCARBOROUGH'S famous 2155-seat seafront Futurist 1 1 Theatre, which first opened in 1921 as a super cinema, is to receive a complete £lm over haul. The cinema will shut down in mid January for a month for the first work phase when £150,000 will be spent on renovating the vast auditorium walls. Seats will be recovered and work will begin on other improvements. Other work which will not ...

... Halfway to agreement By BRIAN ATTWOOD FANS and friends of the late Billy Fury who want to honour the memory of their stage hero are being forced to choose between two rival charities working on the singer's behalf. Fury fanatic Ralph Turner hit upon the idea of a three day spectacular for hundreds of fellow admirers of the popular Rock 'n' Roll singer in Blackpool from February 15. His aim was ...

... Veterans' bid to save the show A TRIO of veteran performers are making an 11th hour bid to save Blackpool's smallest theatre. Eccentric entertainer Ray Smith and his two variety group partners Wally Raye and Maureen Stevens have challenged television personality Anneka Rice to rescue The Queen's Theatre on Coronation Street. The intimate theatre was recently sold for just under £300,000 to a ...

... Top names line up for a Grand night out THE King of Glam Rock, a legend of funk and even a phantom of the opera are among the glittering attractions in Blackpool Grand Theatre's forthcoming season, writes Robin Duke. Gary Glitter, is to star for a week before Easter (March 25/30) in a brand new musical. Glitter is to play Eric Rubber Legs DeVenc, a part gangster/part nanny nightclub owner in ...

... FPA in club crackdown By HELEN GOULD THE Fire Protection Association has called on club managers to tighten up on safety procedures or find themselves not only answerable for huge damage bills but the safety of their staff and public. Recent court decisions seem to point the finger at venue management. In a directive issued last year the Home Office sternly warned that boss es would be ...

... Music industry 'losing battle against pirates' By BRIAN ATTWOOD THE MUSIC industry admitted this week that it is losing the worldwide fight against pirate operators. Losses to illegal traders have dramatically increased by ten per cent in just two years. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which produced the statistics, described the figures as stag gering. In fact, ...

... Troops get it taped GULP servicemen may soon be entertained by Frankie Howerd, Joe Longthorne, Bobby Davro and Bernard Manning after a dra matic bid by comic Mark Peters to take top entertainment to the troops, not in person but on video. The young Essex funnyman sent out an urgent call to fellow entertainers for help with his variety show which is to take place at the London Palladium next ...

... Manufacturers slam new code By HELEN GOULD RECORD Manufacturers have blasted the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society for introducing restrictive regulations which they fear will drive business away from British firms. The Society has unveiled a code of practice for manufacturers as part of its long-running struggle to reform the royalty collection system in the UK and boost payments to ...

... Summer's delight SOUTH Wight Borough Council have announced their complete package of stars for this summer's resident weekday shows at Sandown, Isle of Wight. These include well known tele vision names like Little and Large, Mark Walker, Ward Alien, John Martin and Cheryl Taylor. John Martin, who appeared in the supporting company for last season's Martin Daniels Show, is now coming back to ...

... Wintergardens challenge Bournemouth Council suggests town 'puts its money where its mouth is' to save concert venue from development plan By HELEN GOULD BOURNEMOUTH council is offering townsfolk the chance to save their historic Wintergardens by challenging them to take over the running of the concert hall. The venue, housing what is said to be Europe's largest purpose built con cert platform, ...