Highlights of Zoë's wonderful work in 2016 and looking forward to exciting new projects in 2017

1 January 2017 21:07

In 2016, Zoë continued to dazzle and surprise her fans with a fantastic variety of work, which encompassed everything from paying tribute to Stevie Smith to exploring the future of medical science.

Let's begin 2017 by taking a look at some of the key moments from Zoë's career last year and seeing what's on the horizon.

Celebrating Stevie Smith

Zoë continued her fruitful relationship with the poetry of Stevie Smith (having portrayed her on stage, tremendously successfully, in both 2014 and 2015) when she took part in arts organisation Poet in the City's celebration of the highly individual writer on 15 February.

During the event, held at King's Place, London, Zoe read some of Smith's funniest, most touching and most disturbing poems, including 'The Galloping Cat', 'A House of Mercy' and 'God the Eater'. Zoë's expressive readings ensured that the audience shared in the amusement and 'joy' she associates with Smith's witty writing.

In the run-up to her appearance at King's Place, Zoë spoke to writer Bidisha about Smith's appeal for a BBC Arts article. 'She offers us a body of work that veers with unnerving regularity from baffling to acutely profound,' Zoë observed.

Zoë was also interviewed before the event by Poet and the City, remarking that '[Smith's] sense of irony, which I enjoy very much, and black humour, which I love', are two qualities that stand out in her writing, 'and that's what drew me to her'.

If you missed the event or want to refresh your memory of a wonderful evening, you'll be pleased to hear that extracts from Zoe's readings are included in the 'Poetry and Comedy' podcast from Poet and the City. In addition, I've written an overview of the event.

The voice of the Oliviers

Zoë provided the voiceover for the 40th Olivier Awards ceremony, which took place on 3 April at London's beautiful Royal Opera House.

She also appeared on the red carpet with her husband, Gawn Grainger, and on stage during the prestigious ceremony, looking suitably glamorous. Alongside Rob Brydon, Zoë presented the Best Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical Awards (which were won by David Bedella and Lara Pulver).

Winning an Also Recognised Award

Performing arts website My Theatre Mates announced, days later, that Zoë had won Best Solo Performance in its Also Recognised Awards, which celebrate aspects of theatre overlooked by mainstream awards. Zoë's portrayal of the grieving, guilty widow, Rosemary, in All On Her Own received almost a third of the public's votes.

The Terence Rattigan monologue wowed critics and theatregoers alike alongside the playwright's comedy, Harlequinade, during Kenneth Branagh's Plays at the Garrick season in London's West End.

The double bill's final performances had taken place in January.

Elegy's world premiere

Also in April, Elegy received its world premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, London. Nick Payne's thought-provoking, intense play starred Zoë as Lorna, who owes her life to advancements in neuroscience but is paying a terrible price for survival.

'The wonderful thing about [Elegy] is it poses the question constantly – do we have control over ourselves and at what cost and why?' Zoë pointed out when speaking to the Evening Standard about the play's exploration of medicine and the mysteries of the human mind.

Lorna wakes after an operation with no memory of her wife, the devastated Carrie (played by Barbara Flynn), who's made the heart-breaking decision to sacrifice her relationship to save her partner's life. Nina Sosanya's Mariam, Lorna's surgeon, struggles to 'treat' the emotional upheaval as effectively as the brain disorder. This trio of characters invited rapt audiences to consider ideas about love, memory and identity. At what point might you stop being you?

In the Evening Standard, Elegy's director, Josie Rourke, emphasised that 2016 was a landmark year for women in theatre. She called the play's all-female cast 'truly great'.

After Elegy opened on 27 April, many reviewers were similarly enthusiastic. As the Guardian's Michael Billington commented, 'Zoë Wanamaker is superb as Lorna, in the way she captures the rage and frustration that are inevitable byproducts of her condition, but also the wit and mischief that made Carrie love her in the first place.'

Shakespeare's 400th anniversary

BBC Radio 4 invited Zoë to discuss one of her favourite Shakespearean characters, Iago's troubled wife, Emilia, from Othello, as part of Shakespeare's People. The series was produced to mark the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death on 23 April.

Zoë's episode of Shakespeare's People was broadcast shortly before the anniversary and explored what she called 'the conflict within Emilia'. Having played the role to great acclaim in the RSC's 1989 Othello, Zoë shared her insights. Emilia is 'in denial' about her husband's true nature, she explained. Only when tragedy strikes does Iago’s long-suffering wife see him for what he is: a monster.

Zoë also shared her thoughts about the playwright's enduring appeal in a video about Shakespeare productions at London's National Theatre. 'Shakespeare touches the human heart in all his plays, and that's why he is relevant now and will always be,' she emphasised.

The video includes clips of 2007's hugely popular staging of Much Ado About Nothing (2007), in which Zoë played Beatrice.

On the anniversary itself, Zoë took part in a commemorative service at Southwark Cathedral, not far from the National Theatre and indeed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Zoë joined local schoolchildren in laying flowers at the memorials to her father, Sam Wanamaker, as well as Shakespeare and his brother, Edmund.

Website's 14th anniversary

This website celebrated its fourteenth anniversary on 30 July. To mark the occasion, I discussed the website's history, as well as the reasons why being a fan is such a joy, in the most personal article I've ever published here.

Exciting new projects

During the latter half of 2016, Zoe was particularly busy with two major TV projects, and we'll be able to see the results of her incredibly hard work later in 2017.

The first project to be announced was Britannia, a ten-part historical drama series from Sky and Amazon US. Britannia focuses on the Roman Imperial Army's invasion of Celtic Britain in 43AD. Zoë will appear as Antedia, a key figure in the Celtic resistance movement. Filming for this epic series took place in Prague and Wales.

We can also look forward to watching Zoë in Babs, a one-off BBC One drama about the life of national treasure and EastEnders star Barbara Windsor. Zoe has been cast as radical director Joan Littlewood, whose Stratford theatre group Windsor joined as a young actress.

Broadcast dates have yet to be announced, but I'll look out for news.

Zoë's New Year message

Zoë's New Year tweet, posted today, no doubt strikes a chord with many people, as 2016 was a tumultuous period worldwide.

I hope that 2017 will be a happy, healthy year for everyone who admires her work.

Your own favourites

What's your highlight of Zoë's work in 2016? What are you most looking forward to this year? Feel free to let me know by email or on Twitter – I'd love to hear from you.

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