16/04/2023 by Peter Viney
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).
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12/04/2023 by Peter Viney
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.
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09/04/2023 by Peter Viney
Latest Decca Group addition is Argo Transacord (linked). The somewhat bizarre Decca label for train sounds.
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08/04/2023 by Peter Viney
Added to the Decca Group section on AROUND and AROUND: Argo (follow link). Argo was an odd label, with a major focus on spoken word, and lesser-known classical and then a major folk archive label too. My main interest is the art work they commissioned. There’s lots of it to see.
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07/04/2023 by Peter Viney
Emma Rice adapted BRIEF ENCOUNTER as a stage play in 2007 (LINK TO REVIEW). This is one of several revivals, directed by Douglas Rintoul, currently at Salisbury Playhouse then touring. It’s somewhere between a play with music and a musical. I think the former. It’s fast moving, funny, beautifully staged. See the review.
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05/04/2023 by Peter Viney
Wimborne Minster was the first gig on the British section of the tour, though the band are fresh from the USA and on superb form. SEE REVIEW HERE with full set list. It’s a lengthy tour- and they have a new album DIFFERENT GAME to promote, and it’s highly recommended.
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03/04/2023 by Peter Viney
This seemed like a brilliant idea. THE WINTER’S TALE (link to my review) is a problem play. It is tragedy in the first part in Sicilia, then raucous comedy in the second part in Bohemia. It’s hard to tie them together, so Sean Holmes came up with the idea of playing the Sicilia part in the indoor Wanamaker Playhouse, then moving the audience outside to the Globe open-air theatre for Bohemia. Reviews are mainly good, but then they saw it at night and lit. We saw it in broad daylight and it was a very different experience,
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03/04/2023 by Peter Viney
Review added of ROMEO & JULIE by Gary Owen. (linked). It was at The National Theatre’s Dorfman Theatre, but has now moved to Cardiff (where it’s set). It was the second five star production in two days for us. It’s a thought provoking 2023 love story. It stars Rosie Sheehy as Julie and Callum Scott Howells as Romeo. Wonderful.
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03/04/2023 by Peter Viney
Review of GUYS AND DOLLS (linked to full review) at The Bridge Theatre. Rarely have so many different critics awarded 5 stars. This immersive musical is a state of the art production, directed by Nicholas Hyntner at The Bridge Theatre. Looking back at the dozen years I’ve been doing this site, Hyntner must stand out as the best director of all.
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26/03/2023 by Peter Viney
Follow this link to JULIUS CAESAR – RSC 2023 full review. I’m conscious that we’re two days ahead of Press Night, but my criterion is that if it’s a Full Price performance, it’s subject to review. It is a full price performance. It will be touring the country until June. Pre-publicity builds up the novelty of having a female Brutus, Cassius and Octavius. There are many issues, but that’s the least of them.
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