12/09/2025 by Peter Viney
Review of Samuel Beckett’s ENDGAME at Bath Ustinov Studio (follow link to review). Directed by Lindsay Posner, with Douglas Hodge, Matthew Horne, Selina Cadell and Clive Francis. It’s down to how much you like Beckett really. The production and performances can’t be bettered. But what about the actual “masterpiece” the play is claimed to be?
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05/09/2025 by Peter Viney
A new culinary rant by me, following my rants on chorizo and halloumi, we now have Triple Cooked chips everywhere. Do we need them? No! READ THE ARTICLE (follow link)
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04/09/2025 by Peter Viney
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR at the Globe. Follow link to the review. Some don’t like the play, but i love it. I’ve never seen an unfunny version. This was lively and the story worked, though I have a couple of niggles.It’s still on. There were plenty of seats on the afternoon I saw it. Well worth a visit. Picture: Mistress Ford, Falstaff, Mistress Page.
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31/08/2025 by Peter Viney
This year’s shortened popular Shakespeare at the RSC is Two Gentlemen of Verona (follow link to review) The concept of 80 / 90 minute Shakespeare for families, tourists and first time viewers started in the Garden Theatre. This year’s third production moves indoor to The Other Place at Stratford. We loved it. The second five star highly entertaining production in two days. Two clowns: Launce and Speed plus the dog. The only Shakespeare play with a dog.
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31/08/2025 by Peter Viney
Follow link to the Royal Shakespeare Company production of FAT HAM. The play by James IJames won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2022. It’s a ‘kind of version of Hamlet’ set in the Southern USA, at a barbeque to commemorate the death of a father / marriage of the mother to her brother-in-law. The Hamlet figure is a young gay African-American. It’s very different (the deceased dad is a villain), hilarious and I can see why it did so well in awards. It’s running at the Swan Theatre until September 13th. Two weeks to go. Well worth the effort to see it.
Karaoke replaces the Payer’s Scene. Here Tedra (the mother so ‘kind of Gertrude’) lets it rip, watched by Opal (the kind of Ophelia), Rabby (the kind of Polonius) and Rev (the kind of Claudius).
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26/08/2025 by Peter Viney
Added to the Music and Artists section at Around and Around (follow link). I found their two LPs from 1968 and 1969. US import on the Columbia label. They were never issued in the UK or Europe, but they were San Francisco psych era and she was already famous from her hit We’ll Sing In The Sunshine, It started me looking to find out about them and the two albums. It became a new section.
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25/08/2025 by Peter Viney
Not a review but comments on the history I learned from Episode One of BBC TV’s expensive eight part series. Follow the link here.
Photo: Illegal immigrant arrives on beach near Dover from France in a small boat after crossing the channel. People traffickers in background.
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23/08/2025 by Peter Viney
HEDDA (follow link here to my review) is written and directed by Matthew Dunster and is a reimagining of Henril Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler storyline, set in present day Frome. It is extraordinarily harrowing and powerful version, starring Lily Allen as Hedda, and Tom Austen as the tortured writer, Jasper. Brendan Coyle is Brack, now an MP rather than a judge. Ciaran Owen is the dull hubbie, George and Imogen Stubbs is his sweet Aunt Julia. We are on the most positive end of the reviews.
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23/08/2025 by Peter Viney
Review of a major production of AS YOU LIKE IT at Bath Theatre Royal. Follow the link to the full review. This is part of Bath’s 2025 Ralph Fiennes Season, and is directed by Ralph Fiennes. It has some glowing reviews. We saw it the day before press night, and were pretty critical. Read the review. The photo is the final song. It is easily the best thing in the production.
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16/08/2025 by Peter Viney
REVIEW added of The Ballad of Wallis Island (follow link). It must be one of the films of the year, simple, beautiful to look at, great to listen to, excellent story. A must see. Check the review which avoids serious plot spoilers and jokes!
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