Twice Nightly

Twice Nightly is at the Friargate Theatre on 17 and 18 July, and then again on 24 and 25 July. It's a Riding Lights Theatre Company production that looks back at the glory days of variety theatre, and the whole thing is built around one man: Freddie Francis, a second-spot comic who's been touring the country on every variety bill for thirty years.

Set in 1956, the show follows Freddie as he looks back on a life spent on the road. He talks about touring the halls, entertaining troops during the war, and performing at the infamous Glasgow Empire. It's a glimpse into a world that's mostly gone now — the variety bills, the touring circuits, and the kind of comic who spent three decades working his way through them.

To bring that world back, the show works its way through the routines of some of the era's biggest names. You'll hear bits from Max Miller, Rob Wilton, Jimmy James and Norman Evans, and the music follows suit with songs like 'The Man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo', 'Happy days are here again' and 'Goodnight Sweetheart'. It's a bit of a time capsule, pulling together the comedy and the songs that would have filled a variety bill back then.

The Friargate Theatre is a studio theatre owned and managed by Riding Lights, so this is one of their own. It runs over two weekends in July — the 17th and 18th, then the 24th and 25th — so you've got a few dates to choose from if you fancy it.