“There is a plot twist that made the audience sit up and pay attention”
Set at the turn of the Millennium, London Zoo is about the prejudices that exist in the workplace – focussing here in the press and newspaper world, covering editorial and company acquisition. If that sounds a little boring – it is! It’s about the figures and the manipulation of those figures to impress the board, who’s in and who’s out, who’s being fired and who is doing the firing… blah blah blah.
[Anirban Roy, Dan Saski, Simon Furness, Harris Vaughan and Natalie Lauren]
What life there is springs up when characters suddenly outrage us with their views of the world. Sexism and racism keep raising their ugly heads. There’s bullying and entitlement, too, thrown in for good measure. It’s all here on show for us to dislike.
[Simon Furness and Harris Vaughan]
Farine Clarke has written and directed a play that somehow feels a little dated. Unsure within itself whether to portray the unlikeable characters as grotesques in a dated world and go for laughs, or to play for the reality of it all which runs the risk of tedium – do we care enough about any of these people? It’s a fine line to tread and I’m not sure she knows but as it is London Zoo can’t be both.
[Odimegwu Okoye]
There is a plot twist that made the audience sit up and pay attention. Everyone left the theatre buzzing, which is an amazing feat for any production to achieve. There is a lot to talk about from London Zoo, but I’m not quite sure it’s what Farine Clarke wanted or expected…
Photography Lidia Crisafulli
Writer/Director Farine Clarke
Special Advisor Linda Marlowe
Designer Rebecca Pitt Designs
Running Time 90 minutes – which includes a 15-minute interval
Age Restrictions 12+
Dates until Saturday 30th March 2024. Check with the theatre for show times
Venue Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London
Yesterday could have been a dreadful day. Margaret and Dick walked their two girls, Rosie the Cockerpoo and Polly the Cavachon and then Margaret took a neighbour’s lovely Cockerpoo for a walk, then there was a dash here, a dash there. Finally, perfection, into town they went with Dick driving, Margaret on the back seat with Rosie and Polly. Well, Margaret knows her place.
‘Has Dada seen that car is stopping, Mama?’
‘I will save us,’ said Mama. ‘Stoppp! Brakes lights ahead.’
‘I saw, ‘ said Dada in that strange voice that sounds as though someone is strangling him. ‘That’s why I have a foot on the brake, gently, coasting towards the car with the red lights on.’
Goodness, Margaret thought. Dick is talking a lot this morning. The girls thought he was too. ‘Why are his knuckles often white in the car, Mama, when we are helping him?’
Margaret didn’t know and couldn’t understand it.
They walked into town from the carpark near the church. Dick waited outside a charity shop because Margaret wanted to buy a £2.00 DVD of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel which she hadn’t seen for ages, and wanted to. She found one, and was very very pleased. Then they walked along a bit and into The Golden Fleece on the Market Place. It was very busy. Someone was at Table 23. Oh dear. Someone else was in the Writing Room at Margaret and Dick’s second best table, the one which also had comfy armchairs. Well, they all do, but these are the best.
Finally they were in the bar, and there was their third best table – free. They sat. Dick ordered coffees. Margaret gave the girls treats.
The lovely bloke brought the coffees. Ooh, a lovely lot of chocolate sprinkles on Margaret’s cappuccino. Then she looked, stared, searched, but no, there were no Maltesers. How could that be, for everyone who had coffee in The Golden Fleece had three Maltersers in a spirit glass? Had Dick chomped them all quick as a flash and then hidden the little spirit glasses?
Dick was shocked too, though, so Margaret called to the lovely bloke who was behind the bar, making more coffees.
‘Did you forget our Maltesers, lovely young bloke?’ She didn’t call him that aloud, she is fibbing)
‘No,’ the lovely bloke said, staying behind the bar, as though he was seeking protection. He is a big young man. He shouldn’t get frightened. But Margaret thought he really was, because he was wiping a cup as though he was going to polish it to nothing.
‘We have none. We have run out.’
Those terrible words one never expects to hear, especially in The Golden Fleece, the most perfect of hotels. None? No Maltesers? ‘Tomorrow,’ he said. ‘Would you like a digestive?’
Margaret pondered, because now she realised why there were more chocolate sprinkles than usual. She accepted the digestive. It was kind of the lovely bloke, but frankly, it was not three Maltesers – well, four, because Dick always gave Margaret one of his.
It was a nice coffee though. This lovely bloke makes almost the best Margaret has had but it’s not the same as… Dick told Margaret she was becoming obsessed.
The drive home was quiet. Margaret and the girls couldn’t even raise the will to remind Dick of the roundabouts. But as they drove down their road, Margaret remembered the amazing hot Maltesers drink she had bought herself for Mother’s Day. Oh yes, that would save the day because it is truly truly delicious. She knows because she had bought herself a jar the week before.
Into the pantry she looked. And again, because the Maltesers drink was not there, not anywhere. Margaret told Dick. Dick said, ‘I hid it, for your own good. I thought you might drink much too much of it because you love anything Malteser much too much, and then the girls and I would have to lie and say you were no fatter than you are now.’
‘Fatter. Fatter,’ shrieked Margaret. ‘Are you mad? I am not fat. Or am I? Really. Oh, am I fat?’ Margaret understands Dick. It does not take much to break him.
The Maltesers drink was ready in no time at all. It is not quite the same as the Maltesers that everyone in Thirsk looks forward to in The Golden Fleece, you know, the little choccy brown thingies that you put in the mouth, suck the chocolate off, and then crunch the honeycomb – but it was very nice. Tomorrow she will see if the Maltesers have been delivered. She is hopeful because Margaret is an optimist and a sweet natured, kindly, positive soul, or so she tells herself, one who lifts the world for those around her. Dick does not tell the flagpole about Margaret being sweet natured, kindly, positive. He certainly does not tell it that she lifts the world for those around her, but that’s quite another matter and one Margaret will address another day.
Frost Magazine’s editor, Margaret Graham popped in with Dick for a catch-up with the CCA last Friday, and guess what, we were in time for the raffle, and Bingo. Not to mention a piece of Birthday cake. Just look at Linda spoiling Red Shoes Bob with a surprise birthday cake. A modest number of candles had to be blown out, and there were quite enough slices for us all to enjoy. Then it was onto the Bingo which was huge fun. We all had to stand, Bob told us a word. As your number was called, you yelled (and I mean yelled) the word and sat down. The last one standing won a prize. Then there was another round, another word… another prize… And always so much laughter and chat…
We had all bought raffle tickets, and the lucky winner was presented with a basket of goodies. How the time flew, but Margaret managed to catch up with wonderful Marion and Bob, who steer the ship. They filled her in on just a few of the CCA activities.
Everyone loves the Quiz night held every couple of months.(above) This involves a wheel, 14 prizes and if your number is called, you get to spin the wheel for another number. Honestly, the fun these wonderful people have is splendid.
Do you like music? Well, how about the Guitar group for senior citizens on Wednesday evenings 7 – 8. Here at Frost Magazine we long to hear they have written a rock number which has topped the charts. You can be sure there’d be another party with a massive cake. Margaret feels that the ladies should be considering producing a WI type calendar in good time for Christmas, complete with carefully placed fruit of course. The heating would have to be on high. Should she mention this? She will mull. And no, there will be no suggestion that Margaret should be involved, as, she, after all, is not actually a resident of Brady Square, so very there.
Yoga classes are held weekly, with the ‘armchair’ session in the morning and the more energetic session from 2-3 in the afternoon.
Aimee’s dancers are going from strength to strength with classes during the week from 4 – 6.30 and such is the size of Aimee’s following that there is also a larger class at a larger venue on a Saturday.
Of course, there are the war gamers, and the sitting room just for chilling… Heavens, Frost Magazine could go on and on for there is a cornucopia of sessions to choose from at the wonderfully renovated Columbia Community Centre. None of which would be happening without the efforts of Marion, Bob and all their wonderful friends. How proud Frost Magazine is to be associated with them, and it’s just so wonderful for Margaret Graham to be able to whizz up the road to Washington from Thirsk, and in particular Brady Square, where her mum was born, and grew up, and where Margaret often stayed during the summer holidays, in her Uncle Stan’s off licence, which had been his and Margaret’s Mum’s father’s, (Percy) called the Long Pole, or the Long Pull – recollections vary!
On the subject of recollections. Marion is hoping that people will get their memory hats on and jot down any memories they have of Brady Square, and memories they remember their parents’ talking about. So do just jot them down, let Marion have them, and they will all be kept at the CCA for anyone to read, and enjoy.
One morning Margaret will come to the CCA and make notes, and record anything that people remember over a coffee – oooh, yes, and cake please. Date to be advised.
Twenty books and counting, and this is, arguably, the best so far. Yes, it even tops, in my opinion, the Number One bestseller Somebody Someday with Robbie Williams which was a huge success. After all, there aren’t many authors who can claim that their debut crime novel was longlisted for the Independent on Sunday’s 2014 Alternative Booker prize and also selected as the Mail on Sunday’s Thriller of the Week, I particularly love this quote from Mail on Sunday Thriller of the Week ‘A marvellous set of unsavoury suspects… good, nasty fun with a ring of truth.’
Well, how about this from Frost Magazine for Murder on Tour ‘Worthy coach tours pale into insignificance when compared with a rock star’s crazy sex, drugs, rock n roll tour, liberally sprinkled with a good dose of suspicious deaths. Fun it certainly is, page turning too. Come on, live a little…’
Wanna hear more (well, one does get influenced by these crazy musicians).
Crime Writer, Francis Meadowes, has been offered his first paid detective gig, and goes on the road with a gender-fluid rock star, Jonni K, tagging along as the musician’s entourage travels from Copenhagen to Berlin and on round Europe. What could possibly go wrong?
Jonni’s manager is already troubled by a fatal overdose on a tour bus, but then the star is attacked on stage. Then, guess what, the lead guitarist is electrocuted by his own instrument.
It is when another band-member drowns in a hotel bath Francis realises he must earn his money and find out what exactly is going on. Well, yes… I should say so. Does he do his job?
Oh come on… You know me better than that. Read, enjoy, worry, snigger, and see if you can guess who dun it. You’ll love it.
Murder on Tour by Mark McCrum pub Bloodhound Books 9.99 and ebook.
As we all know, sometimes less is more – and this little play falls into this category. I usually bemoan the fact that sixty-minute (or one-act) plays haven’t been fleshed out and can leave an audience yearning for more … but Wish You Weren’t Here is an accomplished piece of writing by Katie Redford.
Mum Lorna (played by Eleanor Henderson) and daughter Mila (Olivia Pentelow) are on a weekend break to Scarborough, where they used to come when Mila was a child and Nan was still alive. But Mila is now 16, has just received her GCSE results and would rather be partying with her friends back in Sheffield than hanging about arcades, Wetherspoons and the hotel room with her embarrassing mother. However, Lorna just wants to have fun – she is only 32-years-old – and longing for her lost twenties. Mila shows classic signs of teenage angst.
They love each other but somehow can’t connect no matter how they try. Two generations breathing the same air but unable to articulate their differences. So much frustration about the world, about each other, about the loss of Nan. But this isn’t a sad piece – there is a lot to enjoy and laugh at. Genuinely real performances, full of tenderness and detail, come from both actresses. It’s an hour very well-spent.
A simple and effective set, designed by Bethany Wells, allows a surprising amount of movement from a small show that has been touring the UK, with Brighton and Guildford still on the horizon after this London sojourn. Director Rob Watt has created a piece that is full of warmth, leaving just the right amount of breathing space for the two performers to fill.
Photography Chris Saunders Writer Katie Redford Director Rob Watt
Movement Director Kiren Virdee Designer Bethany Wells Musical Director Ellie Verkerk
Running Time 60 minutes Age Restrictions 12+ Until Saturday 2nd March 2024
Most of us are familiar with Memoirs of Geisha. Is there more we need to know about sexworkers In early 20th C Japan? It turns out there is and it’s quite a tale. Based on real life events, this is a different story with the same beginning – a girl from a poor family sold to a brothel.
In 1903 fifteen year old Aci Ichi, daughter of a female sea diver, is taken to the most exclusive brothel in Kumamoto, Japan where she becomes the protegee of the highest ranking courtesan. As she is educated in the ways of the work, she comes to understand the power of sex and money intertwined. But the new recruits are also taught to read and write, and encouraged by her tutor, Ichi learns to think clearly and express herself in writing. Gradually the women of the brothel begin to work together to take control of their lives and, influenced by the local shipyard workers, they take decisive action and go on strike.
Really interesting, and key to the story, is the use of literacy. Ichi expresses herself through the poetry she writes in class, full of vivid ideas and emotion, which contrasts with the smooth, over-complimentary letters the courtesans write to their clients.
Possibly a little long, but well-worth reading to the end, whilst appreciating our ability to do so.
A Woman of Pleasure by Kiyoko Murata Translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter
The above card was personalized by Karrie Barron Cards some years ago, when my book The Waterway Girls was published. It was a gift from the Frost’s Food and Drink Critic Michael Rowan and I keep in under a glass dome. It is precious beyond words.
With Mother’s Day on the horizon, I felt Frost Magazine must visit Karrie Barron Cards again, and take a look at a few Mother’s Day cards, bearing in mind that there is an offer of 20% off Mother’s Day cards if ordered before 15th February. Do remember they can be personalised.
Garden Heart is the perfect combination of card and gift. Unique and lovingly hand made in London it comes personalized( free of charge), and is ideal for Mother’s Day. Although this ‘Little World’ seems delicate and fragile, rest assured it comes well packaged in a white presentation box with matching ribbon gift wrap.Dimensions are H15.5 x W11 x D3.5cm @ £23.00 (As each card is individually hand made, please be aware that colours and compositions will vary from the product images.)
Sewing, another one of the lovely Mother’s Day range that I also love. Made in a choice of three colours. Dimensions H15.5 x W11 x D3.5cm @ £26
And another: Mother’s Day Pink/White Bouquet from £13.00
SMALL CARD H15.5 x W11 x D3.5cm
LARGE CARD H19 x W15.5 x D3.5cm
Aren’t they all just gorgeous. And the detail… How on earth do they do it?
Tilly Barron, Creative Director, told Margaret that Karrie Barron Card’s was founded in 1994 by her mother Karrie. Karrie’s concept was to create a miniature world within a greeting card.
She began designing and making from a back bedroom in their family home in Fulham, London and would take them, once a week, to her stall in the Apple Market, Covent Garden. As a child, Tilly’s love of doll’s houses and creativity fired what has become a lifelong passion for miniatures. She worked along side her mother from a very early age, and over the years developed the patience, passion and skills to make and design their ‘little worlds’ herself. In 2007, when her mother retired, Tilly took over their small family run business, and has been running it ever since. The cards unsurprisingly reach a much wider audience worldwide now – online, though thankfully they are still sold from the stall in Covent Garden.
In this world of mass production, you can all see that each creation is made with love and care. No two are ever the same, and I can vouch that they are truly a pleasure to both give and receive. But Tilly says that ‘It is the greatest pleasure of all to make, for which I am truly blessed.’
Covent Garden, London, UK The Apple Market, Covent Garden, Covent Garden Piazza, London WC2E 8BE
Opening hours Wednesday – Sunday 10:00am to 6:00pm TEXT ON THE DAY TO CONFIRM THEY ARE THERE +44 (0) 7533 859220
Lynda La Plante and James Lee Burke are 2024’s recipients of the Diamond Dagger – the highest accolade in the genre, such iconic authors, each with a hugely discerning following. I love them both, but James Lee Burke has a row to himself on my bookcase. I adore his writing, I re-read his books and see something I hadn’t noticed before. I sag into the lyrical writing, the settings in southern states of America… Enough, control is necessary.
It goes without saying that the award recognises authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.
Lynda La Plante CBE began her career as an actor in TV and theatre. She graduated from RADA, where her fellow students included Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt.
Vaseem Khan, Chair of the CWA, said: “The Diamond Dagger judges almost came to blows this year and for good reason. Ultimately, they have chosen to recognise two incredible bodies of work that have each, in their own way, made their mark.”
Image credit: Gemma Day
La Plante wrote her first treatment for TV, Widows, which went on to become one of the highest rating series in the 1980s. She became a sought-after crime writer, with her debut novel, The Legacy, published in 1987 but in particular I remember Prime Suspect, which made everyone sit up, recognise the presence of women in the police.
It was in 1990 that La Plante began work on Prime Suspect, which was released in 1991, starring Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison. In 1993, she received the Dennis Potter Award from BAFTA and was made a fellow of the British Film Institute. The success led to her forming her own television production company, La Plante Productions. She also wrote and produced multiple shows in the US, with actors including Vanessa Redgrave, Sam Neill, and Rob Lowe. In 2014, she formed a new global rights and production company – La Plante Global. Her current book series features Detective Jack Warr. She received a CBE for services to Literature, Drama and Charity in 2008.
Vaseem Khan said: “Lynda La Plante’s Prime Suspect redefined the role of women in police procedurals and made a star of Helen Mirren, while Widows remains a talismanic – and wickedly entertaining – female-led heist caper.”
Lynda La Plante said: “In 2024 I will publish both the final book in the young Tennison series, and a memoir detailing my long career as an actress, television producer and crime writer. To also be awarded the Diamond Dagger from the CWA makes 2024 even more special, and I look forward to thanking all those involved in person at the awards ceremony on July 4th.”
Image credit: Deborah Feingold
Born in Houston in 1936, James Lee Burke’s first novel was compared to the work of Faulkner and Sartre by the New York Times. Despite this, he was – extraordinarily – out of hardback print for 13 years until his third novel, The Lost Get-Back Boogie was published and submitted for a Pulitzer Prize, after being rejected over 111 times (whaaat – madness). Over the years, he’s taught at universities, worked as a case worker with former felons, as a pipeliner for an oil company, a long-distance truck driver, and a newspaper reporter.
James Lee Burke has two Edgar Awards, a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, and has been a Guggenheim Fellow.
Vaseem Khan said: “James Lee Burke’s lyrical depiction of the American South transcends crime fiction – his prose is often considered among the best to have graced the genre. For many, Dave Robicheaux is the very embodiment of the dogged, morally incorruptible detective beset by personal demons – a beautifully rendered character.”
James Lee Burke said: “I wish to thank the judges of the Diamond Dagger committee for honouring me with such a prestigious award. I’m honoured and humbled to receive it. It is also an honour to have my name among the best mystery and crime writers in the world. I cannot thank you enough.”
Nominations for the CWA Diamond Dagger are recommended by CWA members. Industry experts then narrow these down to a shortlist. The winner is then voted for by a panel of past Diamond Dagger winners comprising of Peter James, Walter Mosley, Lee Child, Lawrence Block, Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, Lindsey Davis, Andrew Taylor, Martina Cole, Ann Cleeves, Val McDermid, Robert Goddard, Martin Edwards, Catherine Aird and Simon Brett.
Lynda La Plante and James Lee Burke join icons of the genre who have been recognised with the accolade, including Ruth Rendell, PD James, Colin Dexter, Reginald Hill, and John Le Carré.
Maxim Jakubowski, Chair of the CWA Daggers’ committee, said: “By an extraordinary quirk of fate, due to our new voting process, this year’s Diamond Dagger is, for the first time in seven decades, being awarded to two authors. If the Booker Prize can do it, so can we! Both such wonderful and deserving writers who, between them, demonstrate the marvellous diversity of crime writing.”
One of the UK’s most prominent societies, the CWA was founded in 1953 by John Creasey; the awards started in 1955 with its first award going to Winston Graham, best known for Poldark. The CWA Daggers are now regarded by the publishing world as the foremost British awards for crime-writing and as the oldest awards in the genre, they have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century. The Diamond Dagger is presented at the annual CWA Dagger Awards, dubbed the ‘Oscars of the crime genre,’ which take place this year on July 4.
The CWA supports as yet unpublished writers with a bespoke group, The Debuts, many of whom enter the Debut Dagger competition and the Margery Allingham Short Mystery competition. The CWA also run an annual conference and hold chapter meetings throughout the UK, so members can access face-to-face networking and socialising. It also runs National Crime Reading Month in June: www.crimereading.com
The CWA supports libraries and booksellers, with three Library Champions and a Booksellers Champion. It has links with various festivals and other writers’ organisations, such as the Society of Authors.
