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Well, this one felt a bit easier than the last couple and seems more like the Everyman of old. That's not to say it was all plain sailing. There's an actress, a playwright and a couple of definitions that caused a bit of head scratching, but the wordplay is clear so no complaints.

I think there's quite a lot to enjoy for those that have stuck with the Everyman and not been deterred by the last few. As before, I'm interested to know the opinions of others.

It was certainly better, and easier, than last week, but I still thought a lot of the clues did not parse well. Luckily I knew the French composer and the French playwright, but 21down--the actress or what could be tweaked as an actress--I did not get.

Re 21d it's W(ith) + a word meaning 'tweaks' or 'changes'. She is an award winning British actor (first name Julie)

The one that caused me the most trouble was 12a. I'm still not 100% sure of the exact parsing.

I took 12a as
Abb. for Europe + "the" old + word for row + sides of "rivals"

..which gives a plural. I thought it should be singular.

Just figured out the last bit of 12a.

Hi Mattrom. Re 12a I took the S at the end as indicating a contraction, as in 'kohl has' = 'kohl's - what do you think?

Yes, I suppose one could say "kohl's beautifying effect...."

I did like 15d, though.

Definitely, I hope Michael sees it :-)