09/03/2024 by Peter Viney
Come Into The Garden Maud (REVIEW IS LINKED HERE) is a late Noël Coward play, one of his Suite in Three Keys trilogy from 1966, which he wrote as his intended stage swan song. The BBC produced it in 1982 as TV play, starring Paul Schofield and Geraldine McEwan with Toby Robins. It’s America v Europe in classic American Literature mode. It’s not one I’d seen before. It’s a descriptive review, with screenshots, so plot spoilers.
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06/03/2024 by Peter Viney
HMV, Columbia – Children’s (FOLLOW THE LINK) covers EMI’s various children’s series releases on the AROUND AND AROUND site. They’re not particularly collected, but the sleeve designs (of some) and the quality suggests they will be eventually. There’s lots to look at. Nostalgia?
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05/03/2024 by Peter Viney
The first recent film review for a while, and two years after it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, but the excuse is it now on DVD and Blu-ray and streaming. So link here to see the review of TRIANGLE OF SADNESS, written and Directed by Ruben Östlund. Warning – plot description and photos, so it is a spoiler if you haven’t seen it.
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03/03/2024 by Peter Viney
We have seen so many versions of this play. So can the RSC’s 2024 version of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM compete? (link to review). It’s directed by Eleanor Rhodes. Matthew Baynton is Bottom, Rosie Sheehy is Puck, Bally Gill is Theseus / Oberon and Sirine Saba as Hippolyta / Titania. All four young lovers are as good as you can get. The thing is, Matthew Baynton was indisposed (Ah! from Horrible Histories fans), and the understudy, Laurie Jamieson was completely brilliant. This is the one with the stage illusions for the Forest of Arden. We were ecstatic. Picture: Rosie Sheehy as Puck.
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03/03/2024 by Peter Viney
Review of Mark Ravenhill’s play BEN & IMO (follow link) at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre. It tells the story of Benjamin Britten composing ‘Gloriana’ for the 1953 coronation gala, assisted by Imogen Holst, daughter of Gustav Holst. No, we didn’t think it sounded interesting either … but it was surprisingly good. See the review.
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29/02/2024 by Peter Viney
A new article at AROUND AND AROUND: EMI label (post 1973) – the 45s In 1973, EMI blended Parlophone, Columbia, HMV Classics and Stateside into one huge label, just called EMI. This was so big, that I’ve only covered the 45s, but that means Cliff Richard, Queen, Iron Maiden, Marillion, Kate Bush, Duran Duran and many others …
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25/02/2024 by Peter Viney
We returned to the Noël Coward Collection DVD box set to watch PRIVATE LIVES (follow link to review). This is the 1976 BBC TV play version, starring Penelope Keith, perfect casting as Amanda, with Alec McCowen as Elyot, DonaldPickering as Victor and Polly Adams as Sibyl. We have a lot of history with this play, and the review follows the other Coward and Rattigan DVD reviews in having a large number of screenshots.
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23/02/2024 by Peter Viney
Review of ONE LAST PUSH by Chris Chibnall, a world premiere at Salisbury Playhouse directed by Gareth Machin. This is a comedy about childbirth, and very funny it is. It’s running until 9th March. Have a day out in Salisbury and see it. Have lunch at Fisherton Mill – it’s great. The review has more on childbirth in general, and the London-centric nature of theatre criticism. Salisbury is a producing theatre, and the prices are a fraction of London West End prices and the physical space vastly more comfortable.
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11/02/2024 by Peter Viney
Regal -Zonophone – was an ancient brand, which for five brief years served as EMI’s ‘other prog label’ with Essex Music artists … The Move, Procul Harum, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Joe Cocker. Then there was a flurry of ultra-rare and valuable pysch albums. Now added to AROUND AND AROUND. It includes the infamous Harold Wilson postcard story related to ‘Flowers in The Rain.’
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11/02/2024 by Peter Viney
It went through five London theatres, then a long 2023 run. Here it is with a fresh cast for the 2024 run, which will visit sixteen more places. Link to review of 2:22 A Ghost Story by Danny Robins. There are reasons why a play is this incredibly successful … read on.
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