21/03/2013 by Peter Viney
Review of the 2013 touring production of the West End hit, Abigail’s Party, here. It’s very hard to revive this play without the shadow of the 1977 original dominating you. They steer a very careful course here: true to the spirit of the original, but sufficient replotting and rethinking too.
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16/03/2013 by Peter Viney
The second play in the Michael Grandage season has Judi Dench as Alice Liddell, inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, meeting Peter Davies, who gave his name to Peter Pan. They meet in the 1930s when he is in his 30s, and she in her 80s. And yes, it really happened. Peter & Alice is by the hugely successful screenwriter John Logan. We found the play “slow and static.”
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16/03/2013 by Peter Viney
Review of James McAvoy in Macbeth … set in Scotland in a dystopian future … added. A stunning and very bloody production that will resonate for years.
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03/03/2013 by Peter Viney
The Book of Mormon, London production reviewed.
It’s usually irrelevant to read about two plays which are only connected chronologically … seeing one on Friday, one on Saturday. But The Book of Mormon surpassed all expectations. Brilliant. It made up for the major disappointment of Playing Card: Spades the night before!
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02/03/2013 by Peter Viney
The Emperor Has No Clothes. Review of Robert Lepage’s “Playing Cards 1: Spades” at The Roundhouse. Tedious and pretentious?
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28/02/2013 by Peter Viney
Short piece added about a seminar with author Saul Bellow.
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24/02/2013 by Peter Viney
Ecstatic review of The Lock In. (Linked). The integration of folk music, hip hop, break dance, comedy theatre left me wondering which section to put it in. It’s dance theatre, so stage.
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23/02/2013 by Peter Viney
Review of August’s Wilson’s Fences, starring Lenny Henry added. This is a rare negative review. Great lead performances in a highly over-rated play.
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16/02/2013 by Peter Viney
Review of Bellowhead, live at Poole Lighthouse added.
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14/02/2013 by Peter Viney
Review of The Winter’s Tale added. This Royal Shakespeare Company production has courtly “Sicilia” as Pre-Raphaelite England circa 1860, with the “Bohemia” of the play in a 19th century Blackpool Wakes Week. Music is by Bellowhead’s Jon Boden.
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