July 1997 – Ian Louis Harris

Letter to Aiden Tierney, NewsRevue, 22 July 1997

Aiden Tierney 22 July 1997
New Revue

Dear Aiden

EDINBURGH

A few rewrites for Edinburgh. Apart from Paisley and Adams, I believe that none of these have been to Edinburgh before.

I hope to see you and speak to you soon.

Yours sincerely

Ian Harris

Encs.

NewsRevue Tonight, Multiple Lyric Revisions 1996 & 1997

My main post on this long-running lyric can be found if you click here.

There were several revisions, the last three of which follow.

This one is from 9 January 1996 and is actually numbered “4”:

NEWS REVUE TONIGHT – REVISION NUMBER GOODNESS KNOWS WHAT
(To the Tune of “Comedy Tonight”)

VERSE 1

THATCHER: Someone familiar,
PAISLEY: Someone peculiar,
ALL: Weirdoes from everywhere at News Revue tonight;
BLOKES: Major’s deflecting,
GIRLS: Emma’s defecting,
ALL: No party whipping here at News Review tonight.

MIDDLE EIGHT 1

GIRLS: Nothing that brings share options down,
BLOKES: Bring on Ken Clarke in place of the clowns
GIRLS: Old exploitations,
BLOKES: New corporations,
ALL: Something to make the boss contrite;

CLIMAX 1

ALL: Barbican tomorrow,
News Revue tonight.

VERSE 2

GIRLS: Alan Clark’s diaries,
BLOKES: The Scott enquiry,
ALL: Sleaze factor everywhere at News Revue tonight;
BLOKES: Serbs’ revolution,
GIRLS: Scots’ devolution,
ALL: Side splitting everywhere at News Revue tonight.

MIDDLE EIGHT 2

GIRLS: Nothing with French nuclear tests,
BLOKES: Show us exploding silicon breasts;
GIRLS: News that reflects life,
BLOKES: Diana’s sex life,
ALL: Satire that puts the world to right;

CLIMAX 2

ALL: Maida Vale tomorrow,
News Revue, News Revue, News Revue, News Revue, News Revue..Tonight!!

Next up, revision 5 dated 16 November 1996 – I get the impression I did this in response to a request:

NEWS REVUE TONIGHT – XMAS 1996 REMIX (YOU ASKED FOR IT)
(To the Tune of “Comedy Tonight”)

VERSE 1

MAJOR: Someone familiar,
PAISLEY: Someone peculiar,
ALL: Weirdoes from everywhere at News Revue tonight;
LABOUR: New Labour morals,
TORY: Old Tory quarrels,
ALL: No party whipping here at News Review tonight.

MIDDLE EIGHT 1

GIRLS: Nothing that brings share options down,
BLOKES: Bring on Ken Clarke in place of the clowns
GIRLS: Old exploitations,
BLOKES: New corporations,
ALL: Something to make the boss contrite;

CLIMAX 1

ALL: Barbican tomorrow,
News Revue tonight.

VERSE 2

GIRLS: More cash for questions,
BLOKES: And lewd suggestions,
ALL: Sleaze factor everywhere at News Revue tonight;
BLOKES: Benazir Bhutto,
GIRLS: Tutsis and Hutus,
ALL: Side splitting everywhere at News Revue tonight.

MIDDLE EIGHT 2

GIRLS: Something to treat your Christmas guests,
BLOKES: Madonna and child with big pointy breasts;
GIRLS: News that reflects life,
BLOKES: Bill Clinton’s sex life,
ALL: Satire that puts the world to right;

CLIMAX 2

ALL: Broadway tomorrow,
News Revue, News Revue, News Revue, News Revue, News Revue..Tonight!!

Finally, the sixth and final revision, a version for Edinburgh 1997:

NEWS REVUE TONIGHT – EDINBURGH 1997 VERSION
(To the Tune of “Comedy Tonight”)

VERSE 1

BLAIR: Someone familiar,
PAISLEY: Someone peculiar,
ALL: Weirdoes from everywhere at News Revue tonight;
LABOUR: New Labour morals,
TORY: Old Tory quarrels,
ALL: No party whipping here at News Review tonight.

MIDDLE EIGHT 1

GIRLS: Nothing that brings share options down,
BLOKES: Take off Ken Clarke bring in Gordon Brown.
GIRLS: Old exploitations,
BLOKES: New corporations,
ALL: Something to make the boss contrite;

CLIMAX 1

ALL: Edinburgh tomorrow,
News Revue tonight.

VERSE 2

GIRLS: War in Tirana,
BLOKES: Canaan Banana,
ALL: Globe trotting everywhere at News Revue tonight;
BLOKES: Congo’s solution,
GIRLS: Scot’s devolution,
ALL: Side splitting everywhere at News Revue tonight.

MIDDLE EIGHT 2

GIRLS: MP’s we chase, much like fox hunts,
BLOKES: Jack Straw and Gordon Brown are……;
GIRLS: …….at lunch;
GIRLS: News that reflects life,
BLOKES: Camilla’s sex life,
ALL: Satire that puts the world to right;

CLIMAX 2

ALL: Royal Mile tomorrow,
News Revue, News Revue, News Revue, News Revue, News Revue..Tonight!!

Skylight by David Hare, Vaudeville Theatre, 19 July 1997

Somehow Janie and I missed this one when it ran at The National a couple of years earlier – I guess we were kinda busy back then. Anyway, we resolved to see the first revival of Skylight at the National, with Bill Nighy and Stella Gonet picking up the leading parts this time around.

We were not disappointed, but I did manage to mislay the programme. Theatricalia is not much help for this revival.

My log suggests that

It was very good indeed. We saw it wherever it transferred after the RNT

Janie’s diary suggests that she (unusually) did all the booking for this one (perhaps she was keener than me) so I can report that she/we paid £25 per ticket to sit in Row D 9 & 10 of the Vaudeville Theatre – this sort of detail would not be found in my diary, which simply says “Skylight 8.00”.

David Benedict in The Indy had this to say about the transfer – broadly positive I think – making it plain that Nighy & Gonet is a very different casting to Michael Gambon & Lia Williams.

Skylight Benedict Indy 05 Jul 1997, Sat The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nick Curtis in The Standard had this positive stuff to say:

Skylight Curtis Standard 01 Jul 1997, Tue Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer in The Telegraph also wrote very highly of it:

Skylight Spencer Telegraph 02 Jul 1997, Wed The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Twilight Of The Golds by Jonathan Tolins, Arts Theatre, 5 July 1997

We rated this good, although I recall not really liking the Wagnerian idée fixe (or should I say leitmotif in the context of Wagner?) underlying this New York drama.

The cast comprised Jason Gould (fanfared as the son of Elliot Gould & Barbara Streisand), Gina Bellman, Mark Hadfield, Sheila Allen and Peter Laird. Theatricalia is not much help on this one.

Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard hated it: