Posted in Uncategorized on 30/04/2023| Leave a Comment »
Sam Mendes directs Jack Thorne’s THE MOTIVE & THE CUE at the National Theatre (FOLLOW THIS LINK TO ACTUAL REVIEW). This is the story of Richard Burton’s “Hamlet” in 1964, directed by Sir John Gielgud. We’re in rehearsal rooms, as well as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s suite. Mark Gattis plays … or rather IS … Sir John Gielgud. Johnny Flynn IS Richard Burton, and Tuppence Middleton brings us Elizabeth Taylor. The play is thugght-provoking and insightful.
Posted in Uncategorized on 29/04/2023| Leave a Comment »
Review of the 2023 production of Willie Russell’s one-woman play SHIRLEY VALENTINE at the Duke of York’s Theatre, (LINKED) London. Sheridan Smith is Shirley Valentine in a life-affirming 5 star version.
Posted in Uncategorized on 25/04/2023| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Uncategorized on 22/04/2023| Leave a Comment »
We saw Fran Lebowitz on her speaking tour at Cheltenham Town Hall. Review is linked here. It was a classic “Literary Festival” format and for us, at £35 a head, extremely poor value for money compared to a play at the same price. She is an interesting person, but not a good public speaker.
Posted in Uncategorized on 20/04/2023| Leave a Comment »
A rant on phones concerts and copyright added (LINK HERE). It starts:
I saw that Natalie Merchant had stopped a show yesterday, called a mother and daughter up on stage and had them delete video footage of her. There was a great deal of comment with the bays and bleats of the entitled who thought they had a right to record anyone anywhere. You don’t. Natalie Merchant was right, most of the audience applauded her. Apparently, she had politely asked the mother to stop filming after the previous song. The daughter then started filming the next one.
Then it goes into the general topic
Posted in Uncategorized on 18/04/2023| Leave a Comment »
Review of the Amazon Prime series DAISY JONES & THE SIX linked. This ten part series was good entertainment, I’ve not gone into plot spoilers, mainly commented on the characters. Read the review.
Posted in Uncategorized on 16/04/2023| Leave a Comment »
A rant added PEE’D OFF (follow link) on the elimination of men’s toilets at the Royal Shakespeare Company Swan Theatre and the replacement by ALL GENDER toilets, which effectively meant ‘No Men’s Toilets.’
Posted in Uncategorized on 16/04/2023| 1 Comment »
Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel, HAMNET, has been adapted for the stage by Lolita Chakrabarthi. It’s at the RSC now, then moving to London’s Garrick Theatre in June for a long run. It’s a hot ticket too. LINK TO REVIEW OF HAMNET here. Fascinating story, beautifully performed and a major return to form for the RSC re-opening the Swan Theatre (after a couple of unusually poor productions).
Posted in Uncategorized on 12/04/2023| Leave a Comment »
We’re getting close to the end of the Decca Group labels at AROUND AND AROUND. Irish labels Emerald and Rex were added recently, but the latest is VOCALION (follow link). Decca bought the classic blues label Vocalion and used it for jazz in the 1950s. When they ended their deal with the French label Vogue in 1962, the classic R&B material Vogue had licensed went onto a revived Vocalion label. It was short-lived, 1962-68, but in that time issued classic R& B … and a young David Bowie.
Posted in Uncategorized on 09/04/2023| 1 Comment »
Latest Decca Group addition is Argo Transacord (linked). The somewhat bizarre Decca label for train sounds.
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