News round-up: celebrating Ariadne Oliver; Shakespeare interview; and good causes

9 June 2020 21:53

In praise of Ariadne Oliver

Hercule Poirot’s pal Ariadne Oliver, who was brilliantly brought to life on TV by Zoë, is being celebrated by the official Agatha Christie Instagram profile (thanks to fellow fan Leigh for pointing this out to me!).

Fans are being asked to describe Ariadne in a few words – ‘Fabulously scatter-brained’ is one of the best suggestions I’ve seen so far!

It’s no surprise that the crime novelist, who's partly based on Christie herself, is a popular choice of guest for imaginary dinner parties...

If you love all things Ariadne, why not (re)discover the Poirot novel Dead Man’s Folly, in which she plays a key role? The book, which features a murder hunt game that takes a sinister turn, is the June choice in the Read Christie 2020 challenge.

What’s more, watching the TV version (there’s a couple of clips below to whet your appetite), in which Zoë stars alongside David Suchet, is a great way to spend an evening. It was filmed at Christie’s holiday home, Greenway, in Devon.

Living the Shakespearean Life

Another suggestion to keep you entertained during the lockdown is to dive into Living the Shakespearean Life: True Stories by the academic John Boe. It's a collection of inspiring interviews with actors, directors and scholars connected to Shakespeare, including Zoë.

While the book was published in 2019 (and very recently came to my attention), Boe’s interview with Zoë took place much earlier – in summer 2010 at London’s Apollo Theatre, where she was starring in the award-winning revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons with David Suchet (such a wonderful, golden time).

She was in fact the first person the author spoke to for the book, as he explains in the introduction to the interview. ‘Her graciousness and encouragement made me want to continue the project,’ Boe emphasises.

Alluding to its title, Zoë remarks in the book that ‘I lived a Shakespearean life for all the time that my father was totally obsessed by The Globe.’ Sam Wanamaker had a lifelong enthusiasm for Shakespeare’s work, and building the reconstruction of Shakespeare’s theatre on London’s South Bank took him 27 years.

‘My father certainly battled for The Globe’, Zoë makes clear – and Living the Shakespearean Life is dedicated to him.

Discussing her own love of the plays, Zoë explains: ‘the beauty of Shakespeare is that once you get involved in it, like my year at Stratford [with the Royal Shakespeare Company], you understand it like music; there is a secret in Shakespeare’s language, like music has a secret, and somebody who knows the secret can play them and make music.’

The result is ‘just beautiful’.

Environmental Justice Foundation campaign

Zoë has been raising awareness on Twitter about the Environmental Justice Foundation’s petition to shut down wildlife markets globally forever.

The organisation, which strives to protect people and the planet, points out that ‘COVID-19 and other zoonotic diseases ­– where the illness jumps from animals to humans – have been linked to cruelty-ridden wildlife markets, where rare and endangered animals like pangolins, tigers and bears are kept and sold.’

If you’d like to find out more, check out the campaign video (please be aware it contains some upsetting footage of animals). You may also be interested in donating to the EJF to help the campaign reach more people.

Freedom from Torture petition

Another good cause Zoë has recently given her support to is Freedom from Torture’s urgent petition to raise the UK’s asylum allowance, so that people on asylum support aren’t struggling to live on just £5 per day.

‘No one should have to choose between medicine, food, or protection at a time like this,’ asserts the charity.

Scenesaver in the spotlight

Zoë is helping to champion a new website, Scenesaver, which gives actors the chance to showcase their work and theatre fans plenty of Off-West End and international fringe theatre performances to watch at home.

It’s a great way to enjoy and support theatre during the lockdown.

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