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Liverpool Daily Post
- UK (July 1st 2003) by Gareth Hughes 'Chris
Hoping his Tie Break will prove a winner.'
With the
Wimbledon championships reaching a climax a North Wales tennis coach is keeping
his fingers crossed for a breakthrough. But Chris Turner's hopes are pinned on
a musical on a tennis theme which he has been writing and refining for the past
five years. The musical, titled Tie Break, combined Chris's two loves,
as he is also a talented musician. The former Rhyl High School pupil, who as a
teenager played at Junior Wimbledon, now lives in Torremolinos where he coaches
in international tennis schools. In the evenings he plays piano and saxophone
in local bars and hotels. "I have always wanted to write a musical
and no-one has ever written anything on a tennis theme," he said. Chris wrote
the story and music, and, with the help of his friend Anthony Barlow the lyrics.
"The hard part is trying to convince the Lawn Tennis Association that it
is an ideal way of promoting the game, as it could be performed in places such
as schools as a showcase," he said. The musical, which tells the
tale of two young rivals as they prepare to meet in the Davis Cup final after
growing up together, and is set against the background of their fathers' antagonism
towards eachother. Tie Break was shortlisted for the Vivien Ellis Award
for new musicals, but Chris, whose parents still live in Rhyl, said he was conscious
of the fact that the script needed improving. "I
would like to see it performed in Britain, and in North Wales in particular, so
have applied for an Arts Council grant," said the 40-year-old. "It
would be nice for it to be showcased by someone like Theatre in the Community
(TiC) or Rhyl Operatic, and producers could then come along to see it," he
said. The project has attracted interest from several prominent people
including Sir Cliff Richard. To enbale potential
backers to learn more about the musical he has created a website www.tennismusical.com
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