03/09/2026 by Peter Viney
Review added of LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST (follow link to review) at Shakespeare’s Globe. It runs to mid September, so hurry. It is a flamenco version, extremely stylish, gorgeous costumes, fabulous dancing. The naysayer might point out that the text is heavily cut and there are many changes. Don’t go expecting sublime poetry, go if you’re expecting a lot of fun. It’s the first version I’ve seen where the lead role is manifestly The Princess, played by Norah Lopez Holden.
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03/09/2026 by Peter Viney
Review added of Florian Zeller’s modern classic THE TRUTH (follow link to review). We saw it in 2016. This tenth anniversary production features Stephen Mangan, Ardal O’Hanlan, Sarah Hadland and Janie Dee. It’s a very funny play, and we laughed just as much ten years later.
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30/08/2026 by Peter Viney
Review of PRESENT LAUGHTER by NOËL COWARD (follow link to the review) at Bath Theatre Royal. This is a major innovative version and will tour. Tracy-Ann Oberman plays the lead, the famed musical star Geri Essendine. Yes, Garry in the original is switched to female as Geri. The long suffering PA, Monica becomes male and Monty. That’s not the end of the changes either. Then in a bold and unusual move for Noël Coward plays they set it in New York in 1977. Well worth seeing. It was a full house at Bath when we went.
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28/08/2026 by Peter Viney
In June we went to a matinee of MY FAIR LADY (follow link to review) at Chichester Festival Theatre. It was cancelled at the interval due to technical issues and I posted ‘My Fair Lady – Part one.’ We were back last night, and saw the entire musical. It’s still five stars, even better the second time because you spot the bits you missed. So the review is revised with Part Two.
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13/08/2026 by Peter Viney
Review of George R. Martin’s GAME OF THRONES: THE MAD KING (follow link to my review). It is a prequel set a few years before the first TV series. It’s the major Royal Shakespeare production of the summer, and the entire theatre has been re-configured to accommodate the jousting from each end. Production photos don’t do it justice.
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25/07/2026 by Peter Viney
This is the fourth in the RSC’s ‘First Shakespeare’ seasons which started in the Garden Theatre and are now indoors in The Other Place. 85 minutes long, this year done in collaboration with Unicorn. This year is A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. (Follow link to review). I’ve reviewed my favourite play twenty-five times. This stands with the four or five best. A cast of eight too. The four lovers double as the Mechanicals. Dismiss the idea that it’s Children’s Theatre. It’s theatre for ALL. It runs until 30th August. Really an unequivocal five star production. Probably the best thing this year.
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24/07/2026 by Peter Viney
Here it is. THE ODYSSEY follow link to my review of the Christopher Nolan film.
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24/07/2026 by Peter Viney
Review of THE CHERRY ORCHARD by Chekhov at the Royal Shakespeare Company (follow link). This is a new version by Laura Wade featuring Sir Kenneth Branagh in his second RSC play this season, with Helen Hunt. If you only look at the production photos, you’ll see how good it looks. Though I have questions …
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20/07/2026 by Peter Viney
MY FAIR LADY is Chichesters big musical for 2026. It has been acclaimed as the greatest of the classic musicals. FOLLOW THIS LINK TO REVIEW. So why did this begin as a a partial review? The production got cancelled after Part One due to a technical fault. It was the long part. We totally loved it, so a review goes up, even though it will be amended in five weeks when we finally get to see Part Two. What will get you is this is more exuberant than that 1964 film.
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17/07/2026 by Peter Viney
Review of EQUUS by Peter Shaffer at Bath Theatre Royal (follow link to the review). It’s a revival of the highly regarded 1973 play, which we hadn’t seen. It’s a powerful production all round, directed by Lindsay Posner.
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