Kate Mosse talks to Liz Nicholls ahead of the Labyrinth Live: Unlocking The Secrets of the Labyrinth tour, at a theatre near you between February & April, to mark the 20th anniversary of her bestselling book
Q. Hello Kate! We’re excited about your live one-women stage show. How are you feeling about it? Do you get nervous?
“It’s exhilarating and, though I will be a little nervous to start with, I can’t wait to get back on stage! I’m a great believer in having a go and trying something new, so when I was offered the chance of a new career as a performer at the age of 62, I took it. Standing in the wings waiting to go on stage, hearing the audience chatting, listening to the music at the top of the show as the lights go down, it’s a buzz like nothing else. I love the anticipation, the excitement and the fact that you’re out there on your own, so you’ve just got to get it right.”
Q. Your amazing book Labyrinth is 20 years old! How do you feel about it now? Did you have an inkling what a success it would be & how it would capture people’s hearts?
“Not at all and, honestly, I still pinch myself at my good fortune. All these years later, I’m still so grateful to all the millions of readers who took Labyrinth to their hearts. It’s one of the reasons I’m going on tour, to say thank you to everyone who made the book a success. Even now, people still come up and tell me ‘their’ Labyrinth story – where they first read it and what it means to them – and that is very humbling. It’s a great opportunity for me to revisit the novel, too, and remind myself of how the characters first came to life.”
Q. Can you tell us about some of the secrets you’ll be unlocking, including the modern-day Grail legends I’ve heard about?
“I don’t want to give too much away obviously, but the show will be a fully immersive, atmospheric, theatrical performance. I’ll be using film, video, music, lights, props, special effects to bring medieval Carcassonne to life and help the audience feel that they are there in the heart of the story. We’re putting it together now and it’s going to be an incredible experience from the second audiences set food in the theatre until the moment when the lights go up at the end of the show. I’ll be sharing the inside story about the writing of the novel itself – my inspirations, how the characters came to life, the landscape of Languedoc – but also revealing the real history that lies behind Labyrinth: so, Nazi Grail hunters, hieroglyphs and Ancient Egypt, Grail legends past and present, the mythology of labyrinths, the medieval crusades against the Cathars, the history of Carcassonne to name just a few of the elements of the show. I want people to come out buzzing with a sense of time-travel and that they have spent the last few hours walking in the footsteps of the people of the past. It’s going to be a special night out!”
Q. Could you tell us a bit about your writing process please? Especially where your sparks of ideas come from?
“For me, everything I write – fiction, non-fiction, theatre – all starts with a sense of place. So, with Labyrinth, it was arriving in Carcassonne for the first time in 1989 on a misty, November’s night and falling head-of-heels in love. From the medieval citadel to the river that runs through the town, from the history and mystery of the region to the terrible stories of religious persecution and the courage of those who stood against the crusade, from the mountains and beautiful valleys to the blue Midi sky in summer, Languedoc is the landscape of my imagination. That’s when the ‘whispering’ begins, the idea that here in this particular place there is a story and characters just waiting for me to come and along and start writing.”
Q. Did you enjoy school?
“I loved it. I was a bit of a loner, a bit of a fish-out-of-water, but through music, history, drama, English, RE, all the arts subjects really, I found my tribe. I loved arriving early and staying late in the library after school (partly to avoid the cool girls who hung around at the bus station with their boyfriends), which meant I got a lot of homework done.”
Q. Were there any teachers or books that you studied that made a mark?
“I was lucky enough to have a brilliant Latin teacher – she taught us about the politics of Ancient Rome, as much as the language and poetry – and fabulous history, music and English teachers. They all were inspirational and taught me to look beyond the obvious to find the hidden story beneath the headlines.”
Q. If you were in charge of schools, what changes do you think would be a good idea?
“I think all young people should study history – the roots of what is happening in the world today can be found in the past, especially when you look at the lives of women and girls. Unless we know where we have come from, and how we have got here, then we don’t have the tools we need to make sense of the present and make things fairer and more equal. I’m an idealist – I still think that, together, we can create a happier and more gentle world.”
Q. How do you unwind? Do you watch television? If so any favourites? Or films?
“Talking! I unwind with family and friends, sitting round the kitchen table gossiping and putting the world to rights. From time to time, I’ll get hooked on a box set – I’ve just (finally) watched all of Downtown Abbey – but reading is my main relaxation. I’m a big fan of Golden Age detective stories – Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey, Dorothy L Sayers – and like nothing more than being in bed at 8.30pm with a cup of tea and a novel! Not very rock and roll, but then…”
Q. What’s your favourite piece of music?
“So many to choose from, depending on my mood. But the elegiac, beautiful second movement of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G would be high on the agenda, as would Dancing Queen by ABBA.”
Q. How do you take good care of your health, including your mental health?
“I’m a keen walker, through not particularly speedy. So, whenever I’m feeling out-of-sorts, or tired, I’ll put on my trainers and heat out into the wonderful Sussex countryside where I love, or into the mountains and hills of Carcassonne when we’re on holiday. There’s very little that can’t be solved by a dollop of fresh air and just listening to the natural world around you.”
Q. Is there anything you eat/ don’t eat?
“Since the age of nine or 10, I’ve been vegetarian – no meat, no fish – and I’m a big carbs girl. I could live on baked potato and Marmite toast, though of course I make sure to have my five fruit-and-veg a day (if my doctor is reading this!)”
Q. Do you feel optimistic about 2025? Anything you’re looking forward to later this year?
“Despite everything, I remain an optimist, yes. I think we have to look forward and travel hopefully. So, as well as the Labyrinth Live Theatre Tour, I’m looking forward to publishing my first YA book. It’s called Feminist History for Everyday of the Year and it’s a book for girls (and boys!) aged 14-18 celebrating a different amazing woman each day who changed history. That will be out in September. Then we’ll be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the second anniversary of the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. After that, in between being granny to my wonderful grandson, I’ll start dreaming, planning and writing my new series of books. It’s going to be busy, but that’s how I like it.”
Labyrinth Live: Unlocking The Secrets of the Labyrinth will visit the Theatre Royal Winchester on 8th March, The Theatre Chipping Norton on 13th March, The Waterside, Aylesbury on 22nd March & more. To book your tickets or find out more please visit Kate Mosse
