The Play What I Read By Paul Vates

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Frost Magazine was intrigued to know where Paul Vates was in his attempts to stage a production of A Doll’s House with New Dreams Theatre. So, over to Paul.

You may recall, from a previous article, how I read many different versions of Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, all in order to stage just the right production in London at Barons Court Theatre later this year with New Dreams Theatre.

After numerous meetings, (in a variety of drinking establishments), the director, Kevin Russell, honed in on one particular version. He applied for the performing rights and to our surprise received a positive response – but with a request that we first supply a pack consisting of our CVs, reviews from previous shows and a reference from the manager of the Barons Court Theatre, W14 9HP, the venue we had pre-booked 3^rd to 22^nd November. There followed a dramatic pause of Pinteresque proportion before we secured the rights to perform Bryony Lavery’s version.

A bit of a coup for us, as this will be the London première of her script. She is a very popular and multi-award-winning playwright, with plays such as Frozen, Stockholm and last year’s National Theatre production of Treasure Island to her name.

While twiddling our thumbs, we chose the cover image for the posters and flyers. When one is creating an image there are a few options available: design it yourself; get a designer to do it; choose an existing picture and pay for the rights; or, as we did, trawl through hundreds of pictures on photo library websites.

‘It has to reflect,’ Kevin said, sipping his lager, ‘what I want to bring to the production and be something that grabs the attention from across a crowded room.’

He tore open the sea salt and balsamic vinegar crisps and placed them in-between us as we agreed to focus on Nora’s dilemma.

‘As the protagonist of the story,’ he continued, ‘Nora is trapped both by her physical and psychological barriers. Her panic and self-doubt builds throughout the play.’

Could this be captured in one image?

‘She fears losing everything she knows and is trapped by a note lying in the locked letterbox by the door.’ He smiled and crunched another crisp.

We chose this dramatic picture – what do you think?

The technical crew have also been assembled. Ben Cowan, whose credits include BBC TV Dramas, is composing the original music score – the production designer is one of Cameron Mackintosh’s newest: the superbly imaginative Katie Murray-Unsworth – and Roman Berry is choreographer.

Attention has since turned to the actors. Kevin posted up an advert on trade websites and arranged a free day with the theatre to hold auditions – firstly for the part of Nora.

‘The whole play rests on her shoulders, so it is important to get this casting right.’

I receive daily texts from him as he declares how many applications he has received; now he has the mind-boggling task of whittling the (at time of writing 180 actresses) down to a manageable dozen or so.

These ladies will be invited to audition for us at the end of August. I will write more about this process and the audition day itself in a few weeks.

See A Doll’s House at Barons Court Theatre, 28a Comeragh Rd, London W14 9HP 3^rd – 22^nd November Tickets are already selling, too. Reservations can be made by phone (020 8932 4747) or by email (londontheatre@gmail.com)

www.newdreamstheatre.co.uk

Facebook: New Dreams Theatre / Twitter @KevinNewdreams

Month 7 of My Reading Challenge by Frances Colville

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Margaret Graham

At the beginning of this month for various (non-book-related) reasons, I wanted to read something light, enjoyable and relaxing, and I found just that in Erica James‘ latest book The Dandelion Years. A quick and easy read, this is a good story with characters I could identify with and of course a happy ending. Just what I needed. And any of Erica James’ 18 other books would have done the same job for me.

All month I’ve been dipping into a fascinating little book called One Hundred Great Books in Haiku by David Bader. For anyone unfamiliar with the term haiku, it describes a very short poetic form, originally Japanese, which traditionally uses no more than 17 syllables, divided into 3 lines in a 5,7,5 format. This particular book as its title suggests, uses the haiku form to express the titles of a hundred famous books. My personal favourite is the following which describes Brave New World by Aldous Huxley:

Euphoric drugs, sex,

cloning, the past forgotten.

So what else is new?

My bet is that once you’ve read the book you’ll want to try writing haiku yourself!

I have my family well trained and they know that a well-chosen book is always at the top of any present list of mine. The haul on my birthday this month didn’t disappoint. The first thing I picked from the pile was an old and battered copy of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. I hadn’t read this before and I was intrigued by a quote on the back cover saying that this might just be the best short story ever written. Maybe – maybe not. I don’t feel qualified to judge. But it is superb. And I’m sure that this seemingly simple tale of an old man’s battle of wills against a huge fish, and at the same time against old age and loss of dignity, will stay in my mind for a long time.

I’ve also been reading a couple of very recently published books this month and recommend both for different reasons. One Man’s Everest by Kenton Cool is a fascinating account of the author’s life as a climber, his motivations and obsessions and his many climbing successes. Not just a book for people interested in climbing, and well worth reading. My Stratford Friend by Dominick Reyntiens is also fascinating; the story is told from the point of view of Tom, a lifelong friend of William Shakespeare and is a good combination of fact and fiction as well as being a compelling read. Fuller reviews of both books can be found elsewhere on Frost.

I thought I was ending the month back where I began, with something light and relaxing. But a few chapters into Us by David Nicholls I decided this was a book with hidden depths. It is funny and it is entertaining, and it will make a good film, I’m sure. But it also has serious points to make about relationships (husband/wife and parent/child) and in particular the big question of how you go back to being just a couple once your children have left home and being a parent is no longer the definitive role in your life.

A Day In The Life By Fiona Rule

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Margaret Graham

“Woke up, got out of bed,

Dragged a comb across my head.

Found my way downstairs and drank a cup….”

That is where the similarities end between my Day In The Life and Paul McCartney’s. While he sped off in search of a bus, I fire up my computer and peruse the latest crop of emails before getting down to the work that takes up most of my time – research.

Today, I am looking into the history of Hunsdon House – a spectacularly ancient property in rural Hertfordshire for a private client. My work takes me all over the place and this morning’s destination is the archives at County Hall in Hertford. County and Borough archives are wonderful treasure troves and are open to anyone, free of charge – all you need is proof of ID. However, many are seriously underfunded and some archives I’ve visited are little more than filing rooms. Its a shame that Council finance officers seem so disinterested in their area’s heritage. Nevertheless, Hertford Archives is better equipped than most and I soon find a wealth of deeds and articles on Hunsdon House along with my favourite kind of document – maps.

Since the Babylonians carved a map of the world on a piece of stone back in the 6^th century BCE, maps have told us far more than a book ever could because they put everything in visual context. For instance, Andrew Dury’s map of Hertfordshire, drawn up in the 1760’s tells me at a glance that at the time, Hunsdon House was the seat of Nicolson Calvert and it was set in elegantly landscaped grounds, with a patchwork of rural fields beyond. Now I have a name, I can find out more about the family.

By cross referencing the maps with deeds and other documents, I manage to piece together a timeline for Hunsdon House and its various occupants over the centuries. This forms the framework onto which I can build a more complete story through online research once I return to the office. I’ve found that this modus operandi works for any size of project, be it the history of one house or an entire area.

However, before I return to London, I have one final stop to make. I’ve arranged to meet a friend at a local pub to show her a copy of my new, “big” book – Streets of Sin, which is just about to be published. My books are a bit like children – I’m proud of them despite their flaws and I like to talk about them! Thus, I’m excited to show her this “hot off the press” copy. Thankfully, the reaction is positive and I wend my way home to face the biggest challenge of the day – to stop thinking about research and turn my attentions to more mundane, domestic matters. This can be terrifically hard, especially if I have uncovered something particularly tantalising. I wonder if Paul McCartney has the same problem when he’s writing songs?

Streets of Sin – A Dark Biography of Notting Hill by Fiona Rule Book Review

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Think Notting Hill, the film, then wonder about Notting Hill, the place. Historian Fiona Rule has all the answers in her latest book, Streets of Sin. Rule has researched her subject meticulously, and presents it in a way that is accessible, and fascinating.

She takes us through the area, much as she does in one of her walks, tracing Notting Hill from its beginnings in the mid 1700s to the present. It began as a small rural community, some half an hour’s walk from the edge of the metropolis, and that half an hour was to be crucial in the initial failure of Notting Hill as a money spinning residential area for its developer. It was just too far from the centre to work as well as Marylebone or any of the closer developments.

Rule lifts the layers of Notting Hill’s history, revealing dreams gone wrong, broken people, piggeries, Rachman, the Profumo affair, and London’s first race riots. Add a dollop of characters such as the murderer Christie, and the musician, Hendrix, give it a good stir, and here you have, ladies and gentlemen – Notting Hill.

I found Streets of Sin unputdownable. OK, my own research as an author leads me to devour anything historical, but walk these streets, put places to names, see what’s under the surface and you’ll be hooked. It is an easy read, an informative read. I loved it.

About the author: London-based historian, researcher and bestselling author Fiona Rule is widely respected as a specialist in the history of the capital and the Victorian era. She has appeared as an expert on several radio and television programmes including BBC London’s Breakfast Show and The Robert Elms Show, Find My Past and The Great British Story with Peter Snow. Her previous critically acclaimed historical titles include The Worst Street In London (Ian Allan 2008, reprinted 2009, 2010, 2012) London’s Docklands (Ian Allan 2009) and London’s Labyrinth (Ian Allan 2012).

Streets of Sin: A Dark Biography of Notting Hill by Fiona Rule (published by History Press 8th August RRP £17.99 hardback) is available to purchase online and at all good book retailers. For more information please visit www.fionarule.com or follow her @Fiona_Rule

Flash Fiction: A Cuckoo in the Nest by Author Jane Carling

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Sitting at the back of the Crematorium, the handcuffs that bound her to two prison guards chaffed Josie’s wrists. She watched her husband’s coffin being carried to its final resting place to ‘I did it my Way’. Only one wreath adorned the casket, red roses, like his blood.

Rachel Hunt, dressed in a black, sat alone in the front pew, where Josie should have been.

How had it happened? They tell me I killed him, but I can’t remember.

It was last May, when spring hailed the first call of the cuckoo, that Rachel had returned from the Costa del Crime in the guise of a deadly blonde, now calling herself Samantha. That’s when the friend requests on Facebook began, and it took a while for Josie to realize from the profile that Samantha was actually Rachel, or rats’ tails as she was known in school.

Out of curiosity Josie clicked the accept button, a click she would live to regret.

“Why the new name?” Josie replied. A few minutes later messenger popped up. “I’m a widow and want a new way of life in the countryside, a whole new beginning. Don’t you ever want to reinvent yourself?”

Josie pondered, “Why would I? I must go, Roger’s favourite risotto is ready, will talk soon. Stay in touch.”

As the service continued Josie clenched her fists. The handcuffs rattled. I should have known better, she thought, and so should Roger. He was a successful businessman, for goodness sake, so how could he have been taken in by this woman? Had he always wanted a blonde in his life, was that it?

She winced as she remembered the simpering. “Oh Roger you are so clever, oh Roger, you are so witty. Oh Roger…”

Then the texts. “Good night my love, good morning darling, and laters babe…” Laters babe? Oh perlease. The lights reflected off her handcuffs. She should have checked his mobile sooner. Josie bit her lip. She recalled Roger’s denials and accusations when she’d confronted him. He’d argued that it was all in Rachel’s head, totally one-sided and that he loved her, Josie. Oh Roger what a big dick you were.

There was a draught as the door opened and the detective in charge sat down behind her. Now what? Can’t I just have today? He whispered to one of the guards and as the vicar signaled for the curtains to begin be closed. Her cuffs were released and Stairway to Heaven began playing. Confused, Josie rubbed her wrists. ‘You’re free,’ whispered the guard. She placed her head in her hands as the curtains began to close and wept.

Rachel was hurrying out before the curtains closed. Too late though. She was arrested and bundled into a police car. The detective waited until Josie had composed herself, then explained that formerly undiscovered CCTV footage had captured a blonde at scene of the crime, wielding the knife. It was Rachel Pratt, hustler, renowned con-woman and now a murderer. Josie was free to go.

Later, sitting in her garden watching kites soar into the deep red sky as the sun set over the Chiltern Hills, images of that fateful day finally returned. Roger had stepped in front of the blade that was not meant for him. Her husband had saved her life.

The distant call of a cuckoo broke the silence.

Jane Carling 2015 ©
www.janecarling.co.uk

Rise of the Enemy by Rob Sinclair Book Review

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Everyone had a breaking point. Carl Logan might just have found his.

A routine mission to Russia, goes wrong. Carl Logan’s cover is blown, and he’s transported to hell, one he thought he’d never see again.

This is a novel of action, suspense, doubt, and ultimately… No, I won’t tell you. Read it and see.

Written in two time zones, Sinclair manages to draw his character into, and out of, so many ups and downs that in the end, we don’t know who he can trust either. Carl, however, powers on, hanging on to the inner strength which his mentor helped him to develop, but is his mentor who he thought he was? So many page turning questions. Just as a thriller should be.

Rob Sinclair, a forensic accountant for a global accounting firm, was challenged by his wife to write a ‘can’t put down thriller’. He did, Dance with the Enemy, and it proved to be a hit. Here is the next in the Enemy Series.

See his A Day in the Life coming shortly on www.frostmagazine.com

Rise of the Enemy by Rob Sinclair. Published in Hardback by Clink Street, (£14.99)

Murder D.C. by Neely Tucker Book Review

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Billy Ellison, the son of Washington, D.C.’s most influential African-American family, is found dead in the Potomac near a violent drug haven. This is when veteran metro reporter Sully Carter knows it’s time to start asking some serious questions – no matter what the consequences.

As with so many things, all is not quite what it seems, and Sully uncovers tentacles that stretch into prestigious social areas; areas which don’t welcome intrusion.

Sully is an edgy, gritty character, an alcoholic haunted by his years as a war correspondent in Bosnia.

(I was there just after the peace, researching a novel, and can empathise with that. It was a dangerous place and that’s when I first knew real fear.)

However, Sully is a reporter, and a bloody minded one at that, and he’s not about to be put off in his hunt for the truth.

I enjoyed this novel. Neely Tucker is that rare and wonderful being, an author who seems almost to be writing his own life story, such is his empathy with his main character. Sully lives and breathes. The style is as fractured as he is, the plot as edgy. This is a gritty novel, full of suspense and depth, which is not surprising I suppose, from a veteran Washington, D.C, reporter.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this novel lives. Go along for the ride. It will be worth it.

Murder, D.C. is available here.Published in Hardback by Century.

The Ways of the Dead, Tucker’s first Sully novel is out in paperback now. Praised by Michael Connelly and the Daily Mail, amongst many, and published by Arrow.

Downley Festival 2015

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Following on from Frost’s articles about this fantastic village of Downley, near High Wycombe, and the piece in the Homes section of The Evening Standard, here is something about the arts festival that has just finished in Downley.

This year, at the start of the festival, strangers appeared in Downley, all vyeing for our attention. Some were perched on walls, another took her place in the front garden, with a glass of wine in her hand. One was up on a garage roof. Others guarded front doors. It was scarecrow time.

Here, there and everywhere, the scarecrows were enjoying the fun.

So, what did the Festival provide?

Those of an athletic disposition, (not me) could run 5 km and pretend to be enjoying it.

Another day we enjoyed the talent show, another time the Ceilidh Band, and talent show.

To begin with, however, there was a family disco in the marquee, and then, as the sun warmed us all, it was Downley Day. All afternoon there were performances and stalls.

The glorious weather continued which was kind to the gardens in Downley, some of which were open for the Festival. So lovely to poke around all those gardens you can’t usually see unless you’re on the top deck of a double decker. Nosey – me? Nah.

Downley School, which is the lovely village school put on a Shakespeare Production and to the relief of all concerned, a Beer and Cheese Festival took place.

I did a workshop on creative writing, and met lovely new people.

All a huge success, and bravo to those who organized and ran it. Downley has done it again. So close to London, but very much in the country.

Yay. Looking forward to next year already.

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