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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.’

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.

Any production by Emma Rice’s Wise Children Theatre Company is an event. BLUE BEARD (link to review) is now on tour and we saw it in its first theatre on the run, Bath. Marvellous music, played by all the cast too. I think there are some teething problems, but all-in-al a must see.

Review of METAMORPHOSES at Bath Ustinov. Great contemporary dance theatre. Follow the link to the short review.

Harvest

The recent addition to AROUND and AROUND is EMI’s Harvest label (follow link).  EMI’s prog label’s glory years were brief, yet in a short time they accumulated a catalogue which is now disproportionately high in collectability. Pink Floyd was the obvious centre, but key early 70s albums were on Harvest.

W. Somerset Maugham’s THE CIRCLE is on tour (review linked). We saw it at Chichester. Casting is a great plus, with Jane Asher, Nicholas Le Prevost and Clive Francis exuding the quality and articulation of long stage experience. The younger element, Olivia Vinall, Peter Ashmore and Daniel Burke are right up there with them. It’s as good a version of the play as you will find, and very funny, though how good Maugham was as a playwright is a question.

Review of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING… EARNEST? (follow link) by the Say it Again. Sorry? company, touring everywhere until July. It will be near most UK readers. This is a take on the play where, due to various mishaps, audience participants gradually replace the cast. This is a somewhat unusual review, and a clear 5 star one!

Oh,dear. review of THE FAMOUS FIVE: THE CURSE OF KIRREN ISLAND (linked), the 2023 BBC +TV Movie, available on iPlayer/ How anyone could combine The Famous Five with a mishmash of secondhand scenes from Indiana Jones, The Da Vinci Code, Hammer Horror is a mystery. Hopefully this review will be funny though. And the scenery’s great.

Capitol – sleeves and designs (linked) is now up on AROUND AND AROUND

LINK TO MY RANT ‘Mail v Guardian’ which I have been updating since 2020. The latest update is today.