News round-up: Zoë on stage, Killing Eve UK air date, Refugee Week portrait and more

31 May 2019 02:43

Wow, it's been an incredibly busy few weeks for Zoë Wanamaker fans, as this huuuge news update makes clear.

Zoë returns to the theatre for Two Ladies

The Bridge Theatre in London has announced that Zoë will make her first appearance there later in the year, starring in Two Ladies. This will be the world premiere of Nancy Harris’ new play focused on the wives of heads of state. It has the intriguing tagline ‘Keep your enemies close, and your wives closer.’

The women of the title are the (fictional) First Ladies of France and the US. Politics gets personal when Zoë’s character, Hélène, comes face-to-face with Sophia (played by Zrinka Cvitešic). Here’s a brief summary from the theatre:

'As their husbands clash over an international crisis, the first ladies of France and America find themselves alone together in a side room.

'Friends, or enemies? When the stakes are so high, can they trust each other?

'Can they trust their husbands?'

The news that Zoë is returning to the stage following the success of Pinter’s The Birthday Party in 2018 has been warmly received by the press and fans alike.

Two Ladies sees Zoë reunited with her friend Nicholas Hytner, a director she’s worked with on a number of previous plays, most recently the acclaimed and well-remembered revival of Much Ado About Nothing, just over ten years ago.

The play is due to have a limited run of around six weeks. Previews begin on 14 September, with the opening night scheduled for the 25th. Performances continue until 26 October.

If youÂ’re a Priority Member of the Bridge Theatre, you can buy Two Ladies tickets now. Advance Members can do so from 4 June and everyone else from 5 June.

Killing Eve series two begins 8 June

Fantastic news for UK fans! As reported by the Radio Times, the eagerly awaited second series of thriller Killing Eve begins on 8 June (BBC One, 9:15pm).

Immediately afterwards, the full series will be available to watch on the BBC iPlayer. That means we don’t have long to wait to enjoy Zoe’s star turn in episode four, ‘Desperate Times’, as a senior – and irate – spy boss, Helen Jacobson.

The series has already delighted viewers in the US, Australia and New Zealand.

New portrait for Refugee Week

A brilliant new portrait of Zoë by talented photographer Jillian Edelstein appears in You, Me and Those Who Came Before, an exhibition created for Refugee Week 2019, the UK’s largest festival celebrating the contribution refugees make to society.

The photo is one of a series featuring prominent first and second-generation refugees. It appears on some of the Refugee Week leaflets, posters and postcards designed to help you promote the festival, which runs from 17-23 June, and any related events in your community.

In its preview of You, Me and Those Who Came Before, the Guardian noted that ‘Zoë Wanamaker was three when her family came to Britain to escape McCarthyism in the US. Her father, Sam Wanamaker, went on to found Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, while Zoë became an award-winning actor’.

The exhibition previewed at LondonÂ’s Tate Exchange towards the end of May, and there are two more chances to see it in the Capital. From 17-23 June (i.e. during Refugee Week), it can be seen in the V&A MuseumÂ’s main entrance, as well as at the Southbank Centre (where the portraits will be projected onto the side of the building).

On a related note, Shakespeare's Globe and the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse will host a series of special performances for Refugee Week.

Talk at the prestigious Oxford Union

Oxford University students were treated to a Q&A with Zoë on 29 May, when she made a welcome return to Oxford Union, the prestigious debating society.

The Union shared extracts from the conversation and photos via Twitter.

Bees for Development charity auction

Zoë is among dozens of public figures who’ve created bee-inspired, postcard-sized artworks for the Bees for Development charity auction. The artworks are being auctioned anonymously – can you guess which one is Zoe’s?

Bees for Development helps impoverished families in countries such as Ethiopia and Ghana to earn a living through sustainable bee-keeping while benefitting the environment.

You have until 7:30 pm (UK time) on 12 June to place your bids. Good luck!

Zoë voices Prostate Cancer UK advert

Speaking poignant lines from Hamlet about the nobility of man, Zoë provides the voiceover for the charity Prostate Cancer UK’s powerful advert.

Featuring footage of prostate cancer patients and the families of those affected, the advert premiered on 14 May and is accompanied by the social media hashtag #MenWeAreWithYou.

‘Our main aim with this campaign is to inspire people to join with us and be a part of solving the problem – stopping a man dying every 45 minutes from prostate cancer,’ the charity emphasises. ‘And not just because the disease is so devastating, but because what it can take from us – the value of men and their lives – is so great.’

ZoeÂ’s beautiful voiceover will help to ensure that the ad is one people wonÂ’t forget.

Celebrating Dame Gillian Lynne

Zoë and her PA, Vanessa, have drawn attention to a forthcoming celebration of the late Dame Gillian Lynne’s illustrious career, To Gillie, With Love, which is due to be held on 2 July in London. Lynne worked on the RSC’s Once in a Lifetime (1979), for which Zoë won her first Olivier award.

The event will also launch the Lynne and Land Foundation, which Lynne and her husband, Peter Land, established to enable talented young performers to achieve their potential with the help of scholarships and bursaries.

To Gillie, With Love will be held at the theatre named after the dancer, choreographer and director on Drury Lane. Tickets are available now.

Pictured with artist Philip Sutton

And finally, here's a lovely, playful photo of Zoe and her friend Philip Sutton RA. It was taken when she opened the popular artistÂ’s My Shakespeare exhibition at DorsetÂ’s Bridport Arts Centre in March but not published online till just recently.

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