IT'S ROCK, vodka, dope and destruction as PRIDE WITH PREJUDICE, a new play by Charles Langley, hits the stage at the Gatehouse, Highgate, north London from October 5 1999 for a month.

This highly charged true story about the birth of British rock music in the late 1950s and early 1960s, follows the brief career of Dickie Pride, from Croydon, who was one of the most talented singers ever produced by this country. It charts his sudden rise to stardom and even faster fall, as the insanity of the rock world takes over his life, sends him mad and destroys him.

The show takes a close look at several of the leading personalities of the time, including Billy Fury, Duffy Power and the great impresario Larry Parnes, and contains several classic numbers including, Slippin'n'Slidin', Blue Suede Shoes, Baby Let's Play House and, of course, Billy Fury singing Half Way to Paradise.

PRIDE WITH PREJUDICE is Upstairs at The Gatehouse, Hampstead Lane/North Road, Highgate, London N6, from Tuesday October 5 to Saturday October 30 1999. Box office 0181-340-3488.
Performances at 8pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Sunday, matinee only, at 4pm.
Tickets: Tues/Sun £7, £5 concs. Wed/Thurs/Fri £8, £6 concs. Sat £10, concs £8. The Gatehouse is on the corner of Hampstead Lane and North Road N6. The nearest tube is Highgate on the Northern Line.

*Pride With Prejudice is a Mighty Man production.

Dickie Pride