Leeds is a city rich in entertainment; its roots may well be in textiles and industry but the people that worked hard to build it always enjoyed a good time, and to this end the city has been home to many theatres and cinemas, so it is perhaps fitting that a show about the history of the city’s cinemas and theatres is hitting Leeds’ oldest stage in next month.
Twice Nightly , a new show that promises to take the audience on a trip down Memory Lane, is at the City Varieties Music Hall on November 7th. Leeds-based writer Liz Coggins said: “I have written this piece based on stories that my Mother and Grandmother told me when I was growing up; we were a family that loved theatre and I have always been involved in it whether writing, performing or directing.”
Gladys and Ethel are the narrators of the piece recalling the city’s late and great cinemas, music halls and theatres in an evening of comedy, music, song and dance. “Today, if you walk from Albion Street to Leeds City Bus Station via Briggate you will pass the sites where three theatre and four cinemas once stood,” continues Liz. “Now they are department stores, office blocks and car parks but then, for the people of Leeds, they were palaces of dreams.”
Liz will take the role of Gladys with Leeds actress Rachael Bickerdyke as Ethel. They are joined by Comedian Dale Ibbetson and Tenor Richard Hunt with support from the students of the On Stage Theatre Arts Academy to create a sparkling evening of nostalgia.
Twice Nightly is at City Varieties Music Hall on Saturday 7th November at 7.30pm. Tickets are on sale now priced £16.60 to £18.60. Book online at cityvarieties.co.uk or call Box Office on 0113 243 08 08.
