THE man who has played such a key role of the revival of The Regal in Tenbury will emerge from the shadows to take his place on stage and help the venue make further improvements.

Chris Davis will be supporting pianist Bobby Crush in a special show to raise funds for the venue.

General manager Ian Little said the funds are needed to help with future projects that include improvements to the function room and solar panels on the auditorium roof.

“We cover running costs but need additional funding to pay for improvements and this is where the money will go,” said Ian Little.

Since reopening in the autumn of 2012 after a major refurbishment The Regal has brought national recognition to the town.

It has also installed facilities that allow live shows to be shown from London and other venues.

The venue has also undertaken a major exercise in community engagement especially with young people interested in the arts.

Chris Davis will be in good company on a special bill because few entertainers can claim to have had as varied a career as Bobby Crush.

For more than 40 years he has been in show business primarily as a pianist but also as a songwriter, actor, broadcaster and TV presenter.

Bobby became known nationwide after six winning appearances on TV’s 'Opportunity Knocks', receiving along the way the Variety Club of Great Britain’s Award for Best New Artist of 1972.

West End successes include three seasons at the London Palladium co-starring alongside Jack Jones, Vic Damone and Julie Andrews.

As a regular performer at that theatre, Bobby’s name was recently added to the roll of honour at the Palladium stage door.

As a composer and lyricist, Bobby has written two complete pantomime scores; one full-scale musical, Sherwood; and a huge hit for Keith Harris and Orville.

This was 'Orville’s Song' which reached number four in the UK charts with more than 250,000 sales earning it a silver disc.

Hehe has also written comedy material for Russ Abbot and Les Dennis.

Most recently, Bobby has been writing for '4 Poofs And A Piano' with whom he toured in the Spring of 2013.

So its quite an act to follow for agent and manager Chris Davis.

Chris, who is based in Tenbury, is known as an agent to the stars, including the likes of Paul Daniels and Jim Davidson.

He is also the director of Ludlow Arts Festival and chairman of the Regal Trustees.

But it is less well known that Chris started his showbiz career as an entertainer and comedy magician. As well as performing in theatres around the UK he joined several overseas tours entertaining the troops in places such as the Falklands and Belize.

The show is on Saturday February 8 at 7.30pm and tickets are £17 and £15 for concessions.

They can be purchased at regaltenbury.co.uk, by phone on 01584 811422 or in person from Monday to Friday between 10am to 2pm and on show nights.