Peter Viney's Blog

Top Hat – review

15/08/2025 by Peter Viney

Review of Irving Berlin’s TOP HAT: The Musical at Chichester Festival Theatre (follow link to review). I hate reviewing things no one can see, but this is going on a SIXTEEN city tour after Chichester. So this is one you can see and you really should. There is an issue. It’s a classic 1935 tale originally featuring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on film. So it’s a dance piece about dancers. We enjoyed it immensely, but is IS retro or if you prefer, faithful in style, but in colour and live with better performed music.

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Philadelphia International

13/08/2025 by Peter Viney

New at AROUND AND AROUND. Follow this link to the article. Should this be a producer label, because Gamble & Huff produced virtually everything on it, or should it be in the CBS / Sony section because it was an integral label during its best years? It’s under ‘Producer labels’ but linked from CBS / Sony Group. An important label for the 1970s. O’Jays, Three Degrees, Intruders, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Archie Bell & The Drells, Patti LaBelle, Dee Dee Sharp and more.

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Choir – review

10/08/2025 by Peter Viney

Review of CHOIR by Gurprett Kaur Bhatti at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre (FOLLOW LINK to review). This is about a community choir meeting and singing modern popular songs. They are a strange mix. One is described as ‘weird,’ another says ‘we’re all weird.’ It is very funny indeed, the renditions of the songs are marvellous. It is a highly enjoyable and runs till the end of the month. The matinee was full. You may have better luck in the evening. it is well worth the trip to Chichester.

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An encounter with Garth Hudson

03/08/2025 by Peter Viney

Tom Deveson asked for comments on Garth Hudson’s birthday. I started. It turned into an article, so I’ve added it here (under Concerts). I’ve told the tale many times, perhaps not at this length. Follow the link here to read the article.

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Romeo & Juliet, The Globe 2025 review

01/08/2025 by Peter Viney

This is rather late. The run ends tomorrow, but there will no doubt be a DVD or streaming one day, and it is of interest as a very different version of ROMEO & JULIET (follow link to review). This is the wild west one, but manages to get much more comedy than usual in the first part, while still being poignant in the second. A comic Mercutio? Friar? JULIET? Read the review.

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Portrait Records

26/07/2025 by Peter Viney

At Around and Around, the latest label is Portrait (follow link) CBS introduced Portrait as a sub-label of Epic. Its first incarnation with Heart and Joan Baez fizzled out, but it was revived and Cyndi Lauper and Toyah were the discoveries, while Sade was licensed for the USA. The Portrait label throws light on the workings of CBS / Sony.

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The Winter’s Tale RSC 2025 review

25/07/2025 by Peter Viney

THE WINTER’S TALE currently playing in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is directed by Yaël Farber. (FOLLOW LINK TO THE REVIEW). It was one of the hardest to assess since I started doing these reviews fourteen years ago. It veers from five star to one star and back again. It is challenging. It is different. Read the review.

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The Constant Wife, RSC – review

25/07/2025 by Peter Viney

Review of THE CONSTANT WIFE at the Royal Shakespeare Company. (Follow link) Laura Wade has adapted Somerset Maugham’s 1926 play, rewriting large sections. Costume, set, performances are at the highest level, and the 1920s and 1930s is an era the RSC usually avoids. This one, directed by Tamara Harvey and starring Rose Leslie is such a triumph that I hope we’ll see more of the same era in future. Here Rose Leslie with Luke Norris and Emma McDonald.

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Marie and Rosetta – reviewed

21/07/2025 by Peter Viney

George Brant’s 2016 play about Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight MARIE AND ROSETTA (follow link to review) comes to the UK. The singing is phenomenal, both from Beverley Knight (Rosetta) and co-star Ntombizodwa Ndlovu as Marie Knight. The play impressed me more than other critics, lifted by Chichester Festival Theatre’s direction and set design, I feel. It’s touring. Beverley Knight joins my list of all-time great female singers!

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Epic – 45 sleeves and centres

15/07/2025 by Peter Viney

Epic – 45 sleeves and centres (follow link) The second part of the Epic story. This is one for collectors, but also for general interest it features several artists not covered in the main article.