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"Frozen, or Dead?" and "Frozen": A Tale of Uncanny Coincidence





I was doing some research recently and came upon the press release about a play I wrote and that was produced in the summer of 1998 in Hollywood.


That brought to mind a very interesting related story:


I wrote the play and submitted it to a contest in 1997 and some months later received confirmation the play won a semifinalist award.


Not long after, one of the judges wrote me to say he’d like to produce the play and portray one of the characters and the other would be played by Jill Whelan, who appeared as Vicki Stubing, the captain's daughter on THE LOVE BOAT TV series.


My play ran for 6 weeks in a small theater.


Fast-forward six years: In 2004, a friend in New York called to say he heard about a play on Broadway written by British playwright Bryony Lavery. He said the similarities between her play and mine seemed unbelievably numerous:


  • The title: FROZEN, OR DEAD? (mine); FROZEN (hers)

  • The premise: a mother confronts the murderer of her young daughter (mine); a mother and the murderer of her young daughter are linked through a psychiatrist

  • Characters: 2 (mine; 3 (hers)

  • Premiere: May 1, 1998 (hers, England); June 11, 1998 (mine)


Interestingly enough, according to Wikipedia, when Lavery’s play made it to Broadway


In September 2004, media sources around the world (including The Times, The Observer, The New York Times,[5] and the Associated Press[6]) reported allegations that Lavery had 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's book Guilty by Reason of Insanity (1998).

Lavery then said she based all three characters on real people, including the psychiatrist. She and Gladwell talked and he concluded Lavery’s appropriation amounted to “permissible borrowing.”


I’m not trying to stir up trouble. Lavery has quite an extensive career as a playwright and I wish her continued success.


But the coincidences are numerous and interesting, right?!


PS I hope you enjoy my back-in-the-day photo!


___


For updates about Martha’s forthcoming books, news and giveaways, subscribe to her website: MarthaEngber.com.


SCATTERED LIGHT, a novel, sequel to WINTER LIGHT (Nov. 2025)



BLISS ROAD, a memoir


WINTER LIGHT, a novel, in paperback and audiobook



GROWING GREAT CHARACTERS, a resource for writers








 
 
 

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