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The Green, Green Grass of Home: Mr Jones An Aberfan Story - Finborough Theatre

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A life of hope and promise, interrupted, lies at the heart of Mr Jones: an Aberfan Story. The play follows two young people in Aberfan before and after the disaster that killed 144 people, including 116 children. It’s an emotional coming-of-age tale of intersecting lives, family, love, and the shock of tragedy. With two vivid performances and strong characterisations, you feel immersed in 1960s Welsh small-town life. It’s now running at the Finborough Theatre , after performances at the Edinburgh Festival and across Wales.  The Aberfan disaster is well known in the UK but perhaps less so elsewhere. The facts of the tragedy are confined to the programme notes rather than in the piece. On 21 October 1966, the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on a mountain above Aberfan engulfed a local school, killing many. The play avoids the causes and negligence, instead focusing on those working and building lives in the town.  Writer-performer Liam Holmes plays Stephen Jones, a...

Music: Michael Feinstein

I caught Michael Feinstein's final concert at the Leicester Square theatre and he is sounding as good as ever. The last time I saw him he was performing with a big band at the Palladium. There was much gushing and gratuitous cameo celebrity appearances. This time around things were much smaller scale and far more enjoyable...

The programme included a selection of songs from the likes of Gershwin and Porter, which is now classified as "The American Songbook" A rather generic label for any song that is old (in danger of being lost), with a pleasant tune, and lyrics that are usually well written.


While his performance introduced a few new songs into the mix, what is nice about listening to Feinstein is his ability to give these songs a new lease of life. Even for songs you have heard him sing before he manages to make them sound as fresh and as interesting as they could ever be.

He has two new albums out as well - one with Barbara Cook and the other Fly Me To the Moon with guitarist Joe Negri. I still like his songs by the Gershwin's album best, Nice Work If You Can Get It. It must be fun travelling around singing this songs. And for a man in his fifties he is looking good for his age and in great shape... Maybe that is the trick to looking young and fit by being surrounded by audiences that are older and fatter... Or perhaps a sign that his fanbase could be broader...

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