Zoë chats about ‘one of the happiest experiences’ of her career, plus lots more news

8 March 2018 02:18

‘One of the happiest experiences’ of Zoë’s career

Here’s Zoë pictured with Toby Jones, her co-star in the West End revival of The Birthday Party, at the BBC Radio 2 studios last Saturday. You’ll find another photo of them on Radio 2’s website.

During a chat with presenter Paddy O’Connell, they explored the tension at the heart of Harold Pinter’s classic play, in which mysterious strangers arrive at a seaside boarding house. ‘I think there’s a danger about it,’ Zoë pointed out. Toby Jones agreed, emphasising that much of The Birthday Party’s humour comes from ‘the laughter of anxiety’.

The strangers encourage Zoë’s Meg, the ‘guileless’ landlady, to throw a party for her washed-up lodger Stanley (Jones), even though he’s adamant it’s not his birthday. Fun and games then take a cruel, unpredictable turn...

Although The Birthday Party is dark and disturbing, the atmosphere off-stage is, thankfully, more relaxed! In fact, Zoë described working on this five-star production as ‘one of the happiest experiences I’ve ever had’.

If you missed the radio show, donÂ’t worry, as you can catch up on the BBC iPlayer for the next few weeks. (The interview begins about an hour and a half into the programme.)

ThereÂ’s also just over a month left to catch The Birthday Party at London's Harold Pinter Theatre. It runs until 14 April, and some tickets are still available. The reviews have been fantastic!

Zoë lends her support to the LSN and Tree Aid

Zoë is backing Sock It to Lymphoedema, an annual campaign to increase awareness about this chronic condition affecting the lymphatic system, as well as raise funds for the Lymphoedema Support Network’s vital work.

Several other well-known supporters, including Judi Dench, are pictured on the LSNÂ’s website wearing odd socks as part of the campaign.

In addition, Zoë is the narrator of an engaging new animation from Tree Aid, another charity of which she’s a patron. The video explains why trees can mean the difference between life and death in the drylands of Africa.

I think Tessa and her colleagues at SEED in Love Hurts would certainly approve of Tree AidÂ’s work, donÂ’t you!

Zoë’s most memorable holidays

Zoë recently spoke to the Mail on Sunday about some of her most memorable holidays – including her honeymoon, when the hotel didn’t quite live up to its name...

‘My husband Gawn was working on a play in Wales at the time but had a day off, so we married in London and then caught the train back to the Majestic Hotel, where he was staying. On the train we had breakfast in a relatively plush cabin and when we got to the hotel we were given a bottle of champagne. They’d put out balloons, too. But our room was right by the car park. It was far from majestic.’

Unforgettable portrait of Queen Antedia

Feast your eyes on this stunning portrait of Zoë as the formidable Queen Antedia in Sky’s epic Britannia. It’s by Alberto Reyes Francos, an incredibly talented illustrator who produces jaw-dropping TV and film-themed images.

Website addresses

And finally, an update about this website: you can now get here via zoewanamaker.com or zoewanamaker.co.uk, whichever you prefer :-)

perma-linktweet this