15/12/2023 by Peter Viney
My annual personal awards. BEST OF 2023 THEATRE (linked) We missed several rated plays, but we saw a lot. I picked out the first in each category, but the others could be shifted around. Mainly, it is a visual overview of British Theatre NOW. Each play has a link to the full review rather than comments. For actors and directors, refer back to the entry for the play. The overall production with the most mentions is GUYS AND DOLLS, at the Bridge Theatre. Still running too.
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11/12/2023 by Peter Viney
It’s December and evenings of TV. We found the BBC Terence Rattigan collection pleasant viewing so are moving on to Noël Coward. starting with HAY FEVER from 1925 (follow link to review). This was an elaborate BBC Boxing Day comedy production in 1984, starring Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington (Ah! Margo & Jerry) with Patricia Hodge. HAY FEVER is such a theatrical play that it may be over-large for TV. Still, this is a highly illustrated review.
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05/12/2023 by Peter Viney
Review of Terence Rattigan’s THE DEEP BLUE SEA (linked) in BBC’s Performance series. This was a recast version of the highly-acclaimed Almeida Theatre production from 1993, retaining Penelope Wilton in the lead, but adding Ian Holm and Colin Firth. According to some, the best version of Rattigan’s best play. This is the sixth of the short BBC Rattigan Collection. It’s been enjoyable.
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02/12/2023 by Peter Viney
Review added of Terence Rattigan’s AFTER THE DANCE. Cast with Anton Rodgers, Gemma Jones, John Bird, Imogen Stubbs. This play was a flop in 1939 and this BBC 1992 production was the first major revival. Then in 2010 it was acclaimed as the ‘great lost play’ when The National Theatre did it.
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30/11/2023 by Peter Viney
Fourth in this Terence Rattigan series, what some consider his best play, THE BROWNING VERSION (linked). This is the 1985 BBC version featuring Ian Holm and Judi Dench. It has a fair few asides on the theme, including school memories of my own.
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30/11/2023 by Peter Viney
We soldier on. The third Terence Rattigan is THE WINSLOW BOY (follow link) from 1977 with Eric Porter, Alan Badel and Michelle Dotrice. It’s another BBC Play f Th Month and they were getting more elaborate with more outside sequences. Another superb BBC version. We got a major internet fault repaired yesterday enabling me to out even more pictures in than usual.
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28/11/2023 by Peter Viney
The Terence Rattigan viewing continues as as we work through the box set. It’s calming to watch, clear as crystal with superb casting. For FRENCH WITHOUT TEARS (follow link) they cast Michael Gambon, Nicola Pagett, Anthony Andrews and Nigel Havers. The cast were all on their way up too. These BBC Play of The Month productions were elaborate, and are very little noted online. It was a very popular play for years, though it fell out of favour. It’s good to revisit it.
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26/11/2023 by Peter Viney
SEPARATE TABLES was done as a BBC Play of The Month in 1970, (LINK to review) and is now in the Terence Rattigan Collection DVD set. I add it here because there is already a lot of Rattigan in the stage section, and because it was an extremely good production … and I add some thoughts on whether it might have inspired ‘Fawlty Towers’ and also some personal thoughts on the ‘Society’s added punishment’ aspect. It starred Geraldine McEwan and Eric Porter, with Annette Crosbie.
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24/11/2023 by Peter Viney
There’s nothing like the comfort of a 1950s or 60s movie when you’re feeling ill. So GIANT (1956) (click on link) added to the film reviews here. Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean, recently reissued in a first rate 4K-UHD blu-ray edition.
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23/11/2023 by Peter Viney
Songs for Young Lovers by Frank Sinatra added to the Art of the LP section at AROUND AND AROUND. It was a first in many ways, from its hand-painted illustration to its claim as an early concept album, and a major record in switching popular music inthe USA to the LP format.
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