The famous acting coach Constantin Stanislavski once said “There are no small parts, only small actors.”

I think of that when I think of the characters of Andre Reidmor and Lady Macbeth.

Neither have huge roles, but both interact with Mona Dunn at crucial points in the story and we are left to wonder at their intentions and if there is more to them than meets the eye.

Andre Reidmor

Andre Reidmor, Bartholomäus Bruyn the Elder, 1540. Oil and Tempera on panel

I love this painting at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. Almost six hundred years old, the colours are still vivid and Andre makes me quake a little in my boots.

So I knew he had to be in the book, because if I was slightly intimidated by him, what would it be like for Mona Dunn and her best friend Clem?

What is this sleepover thing?” Andre Reidmor asked. His painting was almost six hundred years old, and he’d been on loan to another gallery when the last sleepover was held, in 1998.

“The children taking part in the art camps get to spend the night in the gallery at the end of the week,” Mona whispered, even though, if truth be told, she was a little afraid of the stern-faced giant bear of a man who strode about in his fur-trimmed green velvet cape.

What role does Andre play in The Frame-Up, and how does he survive the sleepover?

Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth Sleep-Walking, Eugène Delacroix, 1850. Oil on canvas

I’ve always loved Delacroix and Lady Macbeth is one of my favourite Shakespearean characters, so it was a no-brainer to include her in the book.

I imagine her wandering the Beaverbrook Art Gallery every night, shouting “Out, damn spot!” much to the annoyance of all the residents of the gallery.

There’s an annoying person in every crowd, and you just know that having Lady Macbeth wandering the gallery at night has gotten on everyone’s nerves for decades.

It’s probably also tedious for Lady Macbeth herself, forever banished to the sleep world.

While I won’t tell you Lady Macbeth’s role in The Frame-Up, I will say that Mona breaks a powerful taboo vis-a-vis the painting.

And if you are ever in Paris, visit the Louvre and see Delacroix’s most famous work, Liberty Leading the People. It is spectacular!

Since next week is Spring, we’re going to talk about a beautiful woman in flower garden, and I think it’s time to giveaway a advanced reader copy of the book! Stay tuned for more information!