Comments for Peter Viney's Blog

Comment on The Great Gatsby by Dlew919

Dlew919 — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:58:20 +0000

Excellent review. The first positive one I’ve seen

Comment on The Great Gatsby by The Great Gatsby | Peter Viney's Blog

The Great Gatsby | Peter Viney's Blog — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:30:24 +0000

[…] today in the UK, and The Great Gatsby is reviewed […]

Comment on Hamlet RSC 2013 by Roger Woods

Roger Woods — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:28:25 +0000

Spot on, except I’d stress that for us the flaws (the unexplained set, the irrelevant and incomplete school ethos, the odd use of a platform floor part of which which was removed unnecessarily at some point, the drenching of the cast for 10 seconds right at the end) couldn’t detract from the outstanding performance of Jonathan Slinger. He was terrific. We went with a friend who is hard of hearing and not much familiar with the play and he was totally enthralled. The sword fights were pretty good too.

Comment on The Seagull by David Lippiatt

David Lippiatt — Sun, 12 May 2013 16:33:54 +0000

Hi just seen this (well, actually half of it as we left at the interval) and concur with your comments.

It was pretty dreadful.

Comment on Leon Rosselson by bobkenton

bobkenton — Sun, 12 May 2013 11:08:57 +0000

I love Leon Rosselson. One of his greatest songs is The Ugly Ones, a wonderfully caustic comment on the Glamourocracy. It was first recorded in the early 60s, but reappeared on the 1979 album “If I Knew Who the Enemy Was”, with the wonderful accompaniment of Martin Carthy’s peerless percussive guitar. That album, a gem, also features the brilliant “On Her Silver Jubilee” which contains the lines (I’m quoting from memory):

She looks so commonplace a woman in her fuddy-duddy hats,
But she doesn’t stand in bus queues or live in high-rise flats
…
And she doesn’t shop at Tescos (?) or cycle down the Strand
And she doesn’t play maracas in the Ivy Benson band.

I saw Rosselson in concert when I was a student at Sussex in the early 90s – unfortunately my only recollection of the evening was that I insisted on buying him a drink, to his intense embarrassment, and my consequent mortification..

Robert Marcus
Lecce

Comment on The Misanthrope ETT by The Misanthrope | Peter Viney's Blog

The Misanthrope | Peter Viney's Blog — Sat, 11 May 2013 19:55:47 +0000

[…] added of Roger McGough’s version of The Misanthrope. This was truly “The Misanthrope without Alceste” as the lead role had to be replaced […]

Comment on As You Like It RSC 2013 by Peter Viney

Peter Viney — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:28:45 +0000

I liked the crustie / Glastonbury look of the costumes, with the contrast of Ganymede as Barbour & green wellie brigade. The set was mobile, but for some reason one upright had been stuck in the audience, right by us which was annoying. It was used for one short interchange, but otherwise we and three others were peering round it. But the RSC never let things like audience sightlines interfere with concepts! But otherwise, we were so happy that we put up with it.

Comment on As You Like It RSC 2013 by Roger Woods

Roger Woods — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:26:25 +0000

A flawed production. Music excellent and integral but hidden behind unnecessarily complex and cluttered staging of Arden. Costumes poor. The contrast between the court and the forest could be better brought out the the clothing and colours. The problem here was the wrestling pit which drained the forest of colour.

That said – best Rosalind and Celia I’ve seen. Great rapport between them. Cast and music all terrific. Second half much better than first. Three stars…

Comment on Fixing A Hole by Peter Viney

Peter Viney — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:17:17 +0000

It is indeed a small world. I was in Lecce three times at least with OUP / LNI, but the last would have been in the mid to late 80s. I do recall giving a talk at a university, and when I finished was invited to give another talk to the faculty and their spouses, but half of them didn’t speak English. It was disconcerting as the OUP rep translated as I went along. I made a point, there was a mild titter from the English speakers. Paola translated and the entire audience roared with laughter. Afterwards I asked her why there was such a difference, and she said ‘Your talk was a bit dull. So I improved it in the Italian version.’ ‘What do you mean improved it?’ ‘Well, actually I just said something different.’

Comment on Fixing A Hole by bobkenton

bobkenton — Sun, 05 May 2013 20:28:01 +0000

Thanks for this! I was writing a multiple choice test for a C1/C2 class at the University of Salento, Puglia, and really could not remember whether the future progressive passive (‘the hospital will be being built’) actually existed. I’m always telling students that we generally draw the line at the present perfect progressive passive – the hospital has been being built, advising them that his is the point where we necessarily flip into the active in order to avoid disappearing up our own syntax, but I wouldn’t have dared even contemplate the future perfect prog passive – phenomenal! And – since it’s borderline-plausible – emboldening! …But I think I’ll actually spare the poor mites, and replace it with something a bit more down-to-earth.
I’m fascinated and delighted to have discovered this blog, and to have discovered Peter Viney. I have no idea how I could have been ignorant of your existence, having been in TEFL for nearly 20 years (with pauses). I’m sure I must have encountered, and used, your work without noting the name. I shall fill this lacuna forthwith, however. On further Google-rummaging I was equally delighted to discover your treatise on the meanings of The Band’s “The Weight”, whose enigmas have long perplexed me…
By the way, I noticed, reading your blog, that your first supervisor was Colin Granger, who is the father/father-in-law of very dear friends of mine. Small world…
Regards,
Robert Marcus.
Lecce