Tag: Antibes

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Fenella Holt

In 2008, Fenella Holt and her husband Ed, a well-known yacht photographer, moved to Antibes from Mallorca. “Ed’s job meant we needed to be where the boats were,” explains Fenella. “At that time there was an exodus from Mallorca due to increased berthing fees and my kids had just finished school, so it was a good time to make a move. The boats were moving here, so we did too.”

Fenella eventually started working as a sales assistant at Heidi’s English Bookshop in the old town when, three years later, owner Heidi Lee made the decision to close down after 25 years. “I was therefore made redundant,” explains Fenella. “I realised that there was an opportunity to fill the gap left behind, and I’d learnt enough during my time there to risk it. I reckoned that if I could find the right location, I could make a successful business, and that’s what happened!”

She took on the locale of the defunct Catholic bookshop, La Procure, at 13 rue Georges Clemenceau and it could not have been better placed. “Everyone goes up and down this street, no matter where they are headed.”

And so, on Valentine’s Day 2015, Fenella officially opened the new Antibes Books with Merde! author Stephen Clarke on hand for a book signing. At time Fenella commented, “I can’t imagine ever wanting to go back to London.”

Of course, there have been unexpected ups and unexpected downs over the years. “The low point of the decade was definitely Brexit; it was much worse than Covid. Covid was, in a weird way, a joy! To begin with, I had to close, like everyone else. Then, one evening a couple of weeks into lockdown, I read that stationery shops were allowed to open, so the next day, I got my accountant to change my business licence to include papeterie, I bought some pencil sharpeners, sellotape and Tipp-Ex online and in no time we were open again.

“The shop then became a hub for those on their short daily walks, with many popping in for a chat, a quick (illegal) coffee or sometimes a cry. I think we provided a haven for many lonely people during that time. I’m really glad about that. As for Brexit, don’t get me started. My blood pressure couldn’t take it.”

Fenella says she has hosted some wonderful authors for events at Antibes Books. “We laughed ourselves silly with Celia Imrie – twice. Stephen Clark was a hoot, and the late, lovely, (normally grumpy) Henning Mankell gave me the biggest bouquet of roses you ever saw on opening day.”

There have been visits and impromptu signings with Rick Stein (pictured), Rod Stewart, Hugh Grant, Sharon Stone –and Fenella’s favourite regular – Pete Townshend.

And now, most unfortunately, Fenella is suffering from a chronic health disorder and the time has come to sell the beloved shop. “I want Antibes Books to continue to thrive. I won’t divulge stuff about the business itself here, anyone interested can contact me directly. Suffice to say that it’s very healthy, I am earning an excellent living and that I am willing to train a new owner in every aspect of the business, if needed.

“Also we are just about to launch our new home delivery service. We trialled this during Covid and it was a hit, as I expect it will be again. Thanks to this new legislation, we can be truly competitive when compared to the big online stores.”

Fenella assures that the family, which includes Athos (pictured), her tiny Jack Russell puppy who grew and grew into a 28kg Bernese Mountain Dog – “He was meant to fit in my bicycle basket!” – will definitely stay in the country.

“France is our permanent home, but away from the Med and hopefully away from the mosquitos! I love to swim in lakes and rivers, as does Athos with me, so once I have time, we are going to take off in our camper van, tour the country and find our idyll.”

Fenella Holt is happy to speak with potential bookshop owners and can be reached on 04 93 61 96 47 or by email.

Article first published on August 31, 2024.

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Beth Blatt

By her own admission, Beth Blatt has “a chequered past”. After college at Dartmouth, the American had a promising career in advertising but quit after three years to become an actress in musicals. She toured the US and the world until a 5-week stay in Tokyo turned into three years when she landed a regular TV and radio gig. “It was great being an expat there because I was allowed to do all sorts of work I had no experience doing,” says Beth. “I became the pop-rock music critic for the Japan Times, had a role in a Godzilla movie – and started writing lyrics with the composer of the musical I’d done.”

After Japan, and with a six month-detour in Hong Kong (where she met Red Pear Theatre founder Hilary King), Beth moved back to New York City with the decision she preferred writing to performing. She was accepted in the prestigious (and free of charge) BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop where icons such as Maury Yeston (Nine, Titanic) became mentors. “I worked hard and my work was recognised, developed and produced. Then one day I realised musicals are so US-centric and that ‘The World’ was missing in my work. I wanted a purpose beyond that. And so I created my music-for change-business, Hope Sings –Singing Stories of Change to Change the Stories of Lives.”

Beth believes the power of music can change the world. “Not an original belief, I know. But my vision was to combine the specifics-rich stories favoured by musicals with music from all over the world to reach casual listeners in a deeper, more transformational way.” She started by commissioning Latina singer-songwriters to create songs inspired by success stories of women whose lives had been uplifted through microloans.

Then one afternoon on a playground in NYC, Beth heard a mom who worked at the United Nations talking about the formation of UN Women. “And it just popped out of me: ‘They need a theme song.’ The mom introduced her the UN’s head of communications, who was “rather taken aback by my idea, but didn’t say no” and, through Hilary King, she was able to reach out to composer Graham Lyle (What’s Love Got To Do With It). With Somalian songwriter Clay, they created “One Woman,” which became the finale for the UN Women launch at the gorgeously-gilded UN General Assembly. “When thousands of staid diplomats and bureaucrats stood and sang along – well, it’s one of those moments you treasure forever.”

The next thing that popped out of her mouth: “Now you have to record it.” Beth spent the next two years working every connection she had – cold-calling managers and Googling to assemble a cast of some 25 internationally-acclaimed artists, including Brazilian Bebel Gilberto; Indian Anoushka Shankar; and Angelique Kidjo from Benin. On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2013, the recording was released and Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon (below with Beth) ended his speech by quoting Beth’s lyric: “Shine, Shine, Shine – We shall shine.” This gifted her another treasured moment.

Every year since, groups perform the song on International Women’s Day at the UN and beyond. “If you are reading this and have a sudden urge to sing the song here in the South of France, please drop me a note. I’ll share the score, lyrics – even a karaoke backing track.”

Beth is a long way from New York and the UN General Assembly. So how did she end up here? “We moved to Paris from New York in July 2022 when my husband’s work transferred him over. We were both itching to come – he is French, an Antibois, and I was a French-German language major in college. We’d spent little bits of time in France over the years, but nothing substantial.”

The minute Beth landed in the City of Light she hit the museums, the historic monuments, the churches, and immediately discovered amazing women she’d never heard of. “I did what I always do. I started ‘writing’ them.” Her Forgotten Women of France series includes Clotilde, first queen of France; Christine de Pisan, first female professional writer in Europe; and Marie-Thérèse, the daughter of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette – who survived the Terror and three years in prison.

Marie-Thérèse’s story was the richest and Beth turned the monologues into a play. “I went on a tour of the Chapelle Expiatoire, the Paris memorial to her parents that she had helped build. I’ve always wanted to create site-specific theatre, which takes place in a cool space relevant to a character’s life. I asked the guide there if they’d like to attract more Anglophone visitors. Turns out they did. Six weeks later, I brought a group of women there for a combination visite dramatique and one-woman-show. They loved it – so I’m now figuring out what to do with it next.”

For the past few weeks, Beth has had the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on her radar. She is committed to doing a presentation of new material about women who stand up for themselves and others. “Since I’m spending time in Paris and Antibes, I decided to do something in both places on November 25.”

In Paris, she discovered Winnaretta Singer, Princesse de Polignac, who built the first shelter for battered women in Paris, and was a patron of the arts. On the Coast, two women have grabbed her attention: Béatrice de Rothschild Ephrussi and Eileen Gray. “Their stories are unexpected and heart-breaking – I long to bring them justice, dramatically. That’s what this Forgotten Women of France project is about for me. Telling the stories of women who’ve been erased from or misrepresented by history.”

This is where Beth needs help. “I’m looking for more stories of brave women that need to be told. I want to connect with historical sites who would value my bringing their spaces to life – and attracting more Anglophone tourists. I’d love to talk with organisations that help women who are dealing with violence – including, but not limited to, abuse from a partner, being forced into an early marriage or deprived of an education.”

Beth has been non-stop since she relocated to France 15 months ago and being fluently bilingual is definitely an advantage. “I grew up just outside of Chicago and from age four, went to a small private school attached to a teacher’s college. A French woman wanted her kids to go there, so she offered to teach French lessons. I started French at six, in first grade. I continued through high school, and in college, where I studied in Toulouse one year, worked the next summer in La Rochelle at a Credit du Nord. Years later, I married a French man. I guess France is in my destiny.”

She considers it a privilege to live on the Côte d’Azur. “I love Paris – the energy, the culture, the people I’ve met – but I feel it’s almost a physical need, to have this nature, this space around me. And I’m discovering amazing women to write about here, too. Wherever I am inspired and have stories to bring to life I am a happy camper.”

And Beth just learned that she has been awarded an artist’s residency at Le Chateau de la Napoule in Mandelieu. “I’ll get to spend a month there with the goal of bringing to life the story of Marie Clews, and her husband Henry. I’m thrilled!”

Article first published October 21, 2023.

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Red Pear Theatre returns to Antibes for one night only

The names Red Pear and Hilary King will no doubt transport some Riviera residents back 20 years.

In spring 1995, Hilary founded the non-profit Red Pear Theatre with her Heinz executive husband, Roy, and directed 150 performances in English in Antibes. “For ten years, the Red Pear performed professional English-language shows in Theatre Antibea once a month – except July and August, when you could have billed it as a weight loss program … just too hot!” Hilary recalls.

Following the Red Pear’s closure in 2005, the couple opened up their Cap d’Antibes villa, La Timonerie, to host fundraising cocktail dînatoires. “There were over 40 performances in my home, where the actors gave their services for free so we could send the ticket money to Cambodia, where we helped build three schools,” explains Hilary, who trained in theatre at Rose Bruford College in London.

When her beloved Roy “the Bear” died in 2010, Hilary continued the occasional soirée to raise money for Cambodia before moving to Avignon in 2015 and then returning to her native London in 2019. She has continued to use her theatrical talents. Last week, she organised a charity cabaret for St Martins in the Fields raising £45,000 towards funding 18 Keys, a sanctuary for homeless women in London.

It was during Covid lockdown that Hilary wrote The Red Pear Theatre Story: When the West End Hits the Côte d’Azur, looking back at the many people and details that made the theatre company such a success.

The book was released in March 2023 (£35 UK; £37 for EU) and the official launch takes place June 15 at Theatre Antibea when Hilary brings the Red Pear back to Antibes for one night only. “I return with nostalgia for the old Red Pear audience and a theatrical fairy tale for anyone who arrived in the area after 2015!”

Starting at 7pm, Hilary will kick off the evening with a few anecdotes from the book before veteran film, TV and stage star Anne Reid takes to the stage for a specially-fashioned cabaret, accompanied by Stefan Bednarczyk, whom Nice-Matin called “Un Roi du Cabaret”.

After their performance, both Red Pear veteran Stefan and Anne – who just completed a sell-out run of Marjorie Prime at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory and is fondly remembered as Celia in TV’s Last Tango in Halifax with Derek Jacobi and for the film The Mother with Daniel Craig – will share some Red Pear memories over a glass of wine with guests. Limited tickets (€35) also include a welcome glass of wine and a copy of The Red Pear Theatre Story with a chance of a book signing.

Hilary acknowledges the support of Theatre Antibea and its artistic director Dominique Czapski. For tickets, call 04 93 34 24 30. And hey, if there’s enough interest in Red Pear fare, perhaps Hilary could persuade Dominique to let her have the theatre again one of these days …