Debriefing the Martini Bond Affair

After this August’s downright glorious run at the Camden Fringe Festival, being sold out the entire three consecutive nights, after numerous positive reviews and glowing word-of-mouth by the audience, CommanderBond.net finally decided it was time to locate playwright Lyndsey Jones, the woman responsible for ‘Martini Bond: The Hunt for The Spy Who Loved Her Mum‘, and bring her in from the cold. In an intensive debriefing we were able to secure the following video material about the play that will kick off the Barking Broadway Theatre’s Bond Week, along with the ‘00 and His 7‘ performance by the London Ballet company and a free exhibition of Judith Walker’s cartoons, on 20 September. Both play and dance performance will also be live streamed.

Follows a protocol of the debriefing:

 

CBn: From your blog WomanBitesDog we’ve learnt you’ve been working on your play practically all this year. How long all in all did it take you to write Martini Bond: The Hunt for The Spy Who Loved Her Mum?

 

 

Lyndsey Jones: I came up with the idea last December and delivered the final script in May. In between there were script editing meetings and readthroughs by the cast which all helped shape the play.

 

 

CBn: When you first had the idea for your play, did you have concerns about Eon and Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson? Have you had contact with them, or did you get feedback?

 

 

Lyndsey Jones: I did look into the copyright law on parody, which is an important art form in its own right. I didn’t need permission to write the comedy so I didn’t contact the Broccolis. Martini Bond is a parody but, as a Bond fan myself, I have also respected the genre and wrote this as an homage to the brand too.

 

 

CBn: Martini Bond – will we see her again some day?

 

 

Lyndsey Jones: Never say never again! A sequel is on my to-do list.

 

 

CBn: So we know who is Martini’s father. What can you tell us – without spoilers – about her mother?

 

 

Lyndsey Jones: Her mother is based on the Pussy Galore character from ‘Goldfinger’. I grew up with that film and loved Honor Blackman in that role. I wanted to fly a plane and be bad! And good! She’s a fantastic role model.

 

 

CBn: What is your favourite Bond film? And your favourite actor?

 

 

Lyndsey Jones: My favourite film has to be ‘Goldfinger’ – because I’ve been so influenced by it in this parody. Sean Connery was my favourite Bond but Daniel Craig could replace him…

 

 

CBn: What is your opinion on Daniel Craig and the last two films? Already excited for the new one?

 

 

Lyndsey Jones: I love the way Daniel Craig plays Bond as emotionally dysfunctional – like ice. Ruthless. Can’t wait to see ‘Skyfall’.

 

 

CBn: Who is your favourite villain? And who would you cast as a villain?

 

 

Lyndsey Jones: Blofeld is the ultimate villain for me. I think English actors rule the world at playing baddies. But I would actually like to see a woman take the lead role as the villain – and not the sidekick. Glenn Close could pull it off.

 

 

CBn: What is your next project?

 

 

Lyndsey Jones: We are looking into taking Martini Bond to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next year. In the meantime, my to-do list includes a sci-fi spoof, a sequel to Martini Bond and a gritty, political comedy.

 

 

CBn: A sci-fi spoof, that sounds interesting.Can you tell us Who?

 

 

Lyndsey Jones: The working title is Star Truk – about a group of renegade lorry drivers on the space superhighway. Humans may have messed up Earth through climate change, but they were very good at building interplanetary motorways so some of their species could survive. The only problem is everything is a bit Alien. And if you crash into an unknown flying object, in space no one can hear you scream…

 

 

CBn: We’ve heard rumours about plans for an ebook of ‘Matini Bond’. Can you tell us more about that?
Lyndsey Jones: I’ll e-publish the play on Amazon Kindle by the end of October. But one of my next projects is to write a novel about Martini Bond to develop the character and story further. I’ll keep CommanderBond updated on progress!

 

 

This is as much as we can reveal for the moment. CommanderBond.net thanks playwright Lyndsey Jones and the Broadway Theatre, Barking for aiding our investigations.