Frozen (play)
Encyclopedia
Frozen is a play by Bryony Lavery
that tells the story of the disappearance of a 10-year-old girl, Rhona. The play follows Rhona's mother and killer over the years that follow. They are linked by a doctor who is studying what causes men to commit such crimes. The themes of the play include emotional paralysis and forgiveness.
The play was first performed at Birmingham Repertory Theatre
in 1998 and won the Best New Play Award from the Theatrical Management Association. It later made its debut at the Royal National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre on July 3, 2002.
In New York, Frozen opened in February 2004 at off-Broadway
's Manhattan Class Company Theatre. It transferred to Broadway in May and closed in August 2004. Frozen was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play
in 2004, and earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (Brian F. O'Byrne
).
and involves three main characters: a serial killer
named Ralph, who kidnaps and murders a young girl; the murdered girl's mother, Nancy; and a New York psychiatrist
, Agnetha, who travels to England to examine Ralph. The three lives slowly intersect — and the characters gradually change and become "unfrozen" as they come to terms with the idea of forgiveness.
The script begins in monologue
s, each person showing his or her side of the story; the audience sees each person's story intertwine as they connect with one another.
, the New York Times, and the Associated Press
) reported that Lavery had allegedly plagiarized
significant portions (nearly 675 words) of the play from a 1997 The New Yorker
article by Malcolm Gladwell
about psychiatrist Dorothy Lewis
, and from Lewis' own 1998 book Guilty by Reason of Insanity.
Lewis claimed that Frozen was based in large part on her life and that the play lifted both themes and verbatim passages from both sources. However, after interviewing Lavery, Gladwell wrote a second New Yorker article in which he characterized Lavery’s appropriation as "permissible borrowing." Lavery, for her part, acknowledged that all three characters were drawn heavily from external sources. For the character of Ralph, she drew on the book The Murder of Childhood by Ray Wyre and Tim Tate. For the character of Nancy, she drew on an article in The Guardian
by Marian Partington, whose sister Lucy had been murdered by the serial killers Fred and Rosemary West
. And, for the character of Agnetha, Lavery drew on the Gladwell article. "I wanted [the play] to be accurate," she told Gladwell.
Bryony Lavery
Bryony Lavery is a British dramatist, known for her successful and award-winning 1998 play Frozen. In addition to her work in theatre, she has also written for television and radio...
that tells the story of the disappearance of a 10-year-old girl, Rhona. The play follows Rhona's mother and killer over the years that follow. They are linked by a doctor who is studying what causes men to commit such crimes. The themes of the play include emotional paralysis and forgiveness.
The play was first performed at Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre is a theatre and theatre company based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England...
in 1998 and won the Best New Play Award from the Theatrical Management Association. It later made its debut at the Royal National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre on July 3, 2002.
In New York, Frozen opened in February 2004 at off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
's Manhattan Class Company Theatre. It transferred to Broadway in May and closed in August 2004. Frozen was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play
Tony Award for Best Play
The Tony Award for Best Play is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theatre, including musical theatre, honoring productions on Broadway in New York. It currently takes place in mid-June each year.There was no award in the Tony's first year...
in 2004, and earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (Brian F. O'Byrne
Brían F. O'Byrne
Brían Francis O'Byrne is an Irish actor who works mostly in the United States. He was born in Mullagh, County Cavan.O'Byrne first attracted notice for his performances in the Martin McDonagh plays The Beauty Queen of Leenane as Pato Dooley and The Lonesome West...
).
Plot and characters
The story is set in present-day EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and involves three main characters: a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
named Ralph, who kidnaps and murders a young girl; the murdered girl's mother, Nancy; and a New York psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, Agnetha, who travels to England to examine Ralph. The three lives slowly intersect — and the characters gradually change and become "unfrozen" as they come to terms with the idea of forgiveness.
The script begins in monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
s, each person showing his or her side of the story; the audience sees each person's story intertwine as they connect with one another.
Allegations of Plagiarism
In September 2004, papers around the world (including The Times, The ObserverThe Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, the New York Times, and the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
) reported that Lavery had allegedly plagiarized
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
significant portions (nearly 675 words) of the play from a 1997 The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
article by Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell, CM is a Canadian journalist, bestselling author, and speaker. He is currently based in New York City and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996...
about psychiatrist Dorothy Lewis
Dorothy Lewis
Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis is an American psychiatrist specializing in the study of serial killers and people with Dissociative Identity Disorders , formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. Dr...
, and from Lewis' own 1998 book Guilty by Reason of Insanity.
Lewis claimed that Frozen was based in large part on her life and that the play lifted both themes and verbatim passages from both sources. However, after interviewing Lavery, Gladwell wrote a second New Yorker article in which he characterized Lavery’s appropriation as "permissible borrowing." Lavery, for her part, acknowledged that all three characters were drawn heavily from external sources. For the character of Ralph, she drew on the book The Murder of Childhood by Ray Wyre and Tim Tate. For the character of Nancy, she drew on an article in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
by Marian Partington, whose sister Lucy had been murdered by the serial killers Fred and Rosemary West
Fred West
Frederick Walter Stephen West , was a British serial killer. Between 1967 and 1987, he alone, and later, he and his wife Rosemary, tortured, raped and murdered at least 11 young women and girls, many at the couple's homes. The majority of the murders occurred between May 1973 and September 1979 at...
. And, for the character of Agnetha, Lavery drew on the Gladwell article. "I wanted [the play] to be accurate," she told Gladwell.
Reviews
- "[A] big, brave, compassionate play about griefGriefGrief is a multi-faceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something to which a bond was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, and philosophical dimensions...
, revenge, forgiveness and bearing the unbearable." -- The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format... - "[A] powerful drama ... about three people living the human condition... a story that needs to continue to be told. -– Talkin Broadway