Forget those merchants of doom who proclaim in haughty voices that ''variety is dead''.
The entertainment on offer at Glasgow venues during the coming week has enough variety to make them choke on a large portion of pre-theatre humble pie.
Variety in the old-fashioned sense of the word is also making a comeback, with two seasoned entertainers bringing their particular styles to the city.
Tommy Steele brings the fortieth and forty-first nights of his 44-night tour to the Royal Concert Hall next Wednesday and Thursday (May 13/14) - not bad for a chap who has been flashing his gnashers since the fifties. From pop star to the dying days of the big screen musical to one-man shows to revivals of stage musicals; he has reinvented his career for the times - with a great deal more dignity than some of his contemporaries (are you listening Sir Cliff?) who get more credit for celebrating three million years in showbusiness.
This is a concert performance of songs from all of the above - much more dignified than sweeping broodily around a windswept stage set with four days' growth pretending to be a great literary hero.
There can be a great deal of dignity in sticking to your guns, however, but for some it comes in having a long-term love affair with your sequins.
Danny La Rue is celebrating 50 double entendre-filled years in that business we call show by taking a frock'n'roll extravaganza around the country. For one night only - Thursday, May 14 - the King's welcomes the Hiss & Boo Company, headlined by Mr La Rue of course, in a show which will pay tribute to the grand old days of variety - that word again. Perfect for all those who liked a singalong to The Good Old Days way back when. Tickets for both shows from 0141 287 5511.
Tradition comes in many forms, however, as visitors to The Tron will find out on Sunday, May 10, when Eva Maria Hagen performs some of Bertold Brecht's best-loved songs in celebration of his 100th birthday. Presented by the Goethe Institute, tickets are available from 0141 552 4267.
The sound of Hollywood will echo throughout the Royal Concert Hall this weekend, beginning tomorrow with Symphonic Sounds - a night of blockbusting theme tunes, conducted by Joel McNeely. Swoon to the strains of The English Patient, Titanic and Jurassic Park - war, disaster and dinosaur invasion have never sounded so appealing.
Sunday, May 10, is the first of three in the Kings of Comedy series. Matinee silent movie screenings are accompanied by a live orchestra under the baton of Carl Davies, who has written the first score for Harold Lloyd's The Freshman (1925). As well as introducing the film, Sue Lloyd Jones, the granddaughter of the great clown will give a talk on her grandfather's life on Saturday, May 9. Details and tickets from 0141 287 5511.
More contemporary sounds are to be heard on the Renfrew Ferry as part of Funct 98. The Silencers hit the deck running with two nights on Saturday, May 9, and Sunday 10 - the first night being a full-on electric set with all the old favourites and the second a lower-key acoustic night with new material and familiar tunes mixing for what should provide a mellower mood.
And a genuine case of ''get your tickets now'' is the appearance by John Martyn who gets afloat on Thursday, May 14. As a songwriter who has provided numerous others with classic songs, Martyn will be performing tracks from his latest album on which he has chosen some of his favourite songs written by other people from sources as diverse as Portishead and Lightnin' Hopkins.
Martyn will not disappoint those who come along to hear some originals, however. He has rarely disappointed his audiences - and that's why, after 30 years, they keep coming. tickets from 0141 553 0606. www.urbanvibes.co.uk/funct98
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article