Drawing: Alan Rickman, Lily Rabe, Jerry O’Connell, Hettienne Park and Hamish Linklater in Seminar on Broadway

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Alan Rickman originated the role of Leonard,a caustic professor in Theresa Rebeck’s SEMINAR, which had its World Premiere at the Golden Theatre on Broadway in April 2012. The play revolves around Rickman’s character conducting a ten-week-long writing seminar for four young novelists. I had met Alan a few times and I don’t think signing is one of his favourite chores, but he was very pleasant to chat with.

Many years ago I tried for a graph through the mail and was politely refused by his agent. I sent the sketch, thinking nothing to lose… except the sketch, of course! He was obviously signing at the stage door, but sending stuff to the venues is hit and miss, depending on their policy for unsolicited mail. To my delight the sketch was not only returned, pronto, but dedicated and signed by the other cast members – Lily Rabe, Jerry O’Connell, Hettienne Park and Hamish Linklater. So next time I see Alan, I won’t have to bother him for a sig and can thank him in person.

Drawing: Alison Steadman, Ruthie Henshall, Hermione Norris and Robert Bathurst in Blithe Spirit

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

One of the classic stage doors is the Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue (not the stage door, the theatre. The stage door is round the back in Archer Street). It’s opposite the White Horse pub and the home of 6 million pigeons (someone keeps feeding them). It is quintessential West End, flanked by the Gielgud and Lyric Theatres bordering on Soho.

A revival of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit had transferred there after a regional tour in 2010. Alison Steadman had signed the single sketch for me a couple of weeks earlier and I left her a copy. She was talking to the guy who feeds the pigeons, so I asked if she could sign the cast sketch. She was more than happy to, saying “we all really love your work, it’s excellent, thank you,” which was nice to hear.

Ruthie Henshall was already in… in fact, if I went to the first floor of the White Horse I would be on the same level as her dressing room and could get her attention… but no, that could lead to a conviction. Ruthie, apart from being a West End and Broadway star, dated Prince Edward “solidly for two years, on and off for five years”. Because it wasn’t public knowledge she was often ‘smuggled’ into Buckingham Palace. The relationship ended because she didn’t want to give up her career, but she did attend the Prince’s wedding to Sophie Rhys Jones in 1999.

TV star Hermione Norris was on her phone to a family member (I guessed), so I waited, but she multitasked and signed while she was still talking. I apologised, but she said, “not a problem,” and went inside. Very nice lady.

Her Cold Feet co-star Robert Bathurst is usually the last… and late. “He bikes,” said the stage door manager. Now, that’s running a few gauntlets at that time of night in the heart of London. But his understudy was reprieved again and he arrived in tact. He duly signed and wheeled his bike into the theatre.

Since it was a very pleasant May evening I ensconced myself at the White Horse to partake of their hospitality until the show ended and Ruthie left in the conventional manner (not needing to employ the covert operations of her royal courtship days). I got her coming out, so to speak, to complete the set.

Drawing: Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act at London Palladium

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Caryn Elaine Johnson, better known as Whoopi Goldberg, made her West End debut at the London Palladium, playing the Mother Superior in the musical version of Sister Act for a limited run during August 2010. Now, the London Palladium is not stalker friendly. It has two stage doors – light years apart… well, far enough to create a massive inconvenience that not even Usain Bolt could cover in the required time. Then, of course there is the front door. Add to that – Whoopi had no arrival or departure pattern and her car… or cars… didn’t always drive in from the direction of her digs.

All intelligence, and I use the term reservedly, suggested that the back stage door (as opposed to the main Great Marlborough Street one) was the one to target with a window of two hours going in.

Whoopi used a variety of cars, but there’s only one Whoopi Goldberg, so forget the vehicle, stay focussed on the passenger. Crowds gathered at all doors, some waiting all day. I got to know a few of them after five attempts.

I had virtually given up and resigned to leaving the sketch at the theatre for a through-the-mail reply. I was walking from Mayfair, through Soho to Charing Cross Station, not intending to stop by the theatre… but for some reason (addiction) found myself back there. Five minutes later Whoopi arrived at the back door, loved the sketch, happily signed and strolled into the Palladium to don the habit!

And, as a bonus, I also got the drawing below back through-the-mail.

Happy St Patrick’s Day

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Here are a couple of scribbles for everyone celebrating St Patrick’s Day

Drawing: Jessica Chastain and David Strathairn in The Heiress on Broadway

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Sending sketches for signing to Broadway productions in New York can be a bit ‘hit and miss’… a bit like the shows themselves. My success rate is about 50/50. Some theatres (theaters in Yankie lingo) pass them, some don’t. In January I sent material to three theatres for signing, so it was pleasing to receive this on back on Saturday.

Jessica Chastain was making her Broadway debut in the revival of the Tony award-winning play The Heiress at the Walter Kerr Theater. The production was scheduled for a limited run, opening in the Autumn of 2012 with final curtain on 10 February 2013, after 27 previews and 118 regular performances.

The story of The Heiress is set in the 1850s. Jessica plays Catherine Sloper, the daughter and only heiress of a prominent New Yorker (played by David Strathairn), who must navigate the terrain of love and regret, desire and duty against the demands of an emotionally distant father and the attention of a passionate young suitor.

Jessica has always been pleasant on the few occasions I had met her at London premieres and award ceremonies. Someone wrote that as a vegan, she wanted everyone to feel that they were welcome on this planet… including signature stalkers (some latitude used in the paraphrase). So no surprise when I opened up the envelope and it was from her.

In 2012 Time Magazine listed her as one of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ and she is considered one of the finest actors of her generation. Jessica was also nominated for every award going for her role as Maya in Kathryn Bigelow’s Military thriller Zero Dark Thirty. The Award’s Season coincided with the play’s season, so her understudy saw more action as Jessica attended the various ceremonies.

The Heiress actually closed a day earlier (Feb 9th) to allow Jessica to attend the BAFTA Awards in London on the 10th.

Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winner David Strathairn has also signed the sketch. His Oscar nomination was for his role in as Edward Murrow in Good Night and Good Luck. He also has a prominent role as Secretary of State William Seward in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln.

To demonstrate further Jessica’s love for all things living, she rescued a three-legged dog called Chaplain from a New York dog shelter. A the most climatic point in The Heiress deep in the second half on a February Saturday matinée, Chaplin walked on stage… unexpectedly. He has not signed the sketch, however.

Drawing: Noises Off, starring Jonathan Coy, Janie Dee, Robert Glenister, Jamie Glover, Celia Imrie, Karl Johnson, Aisling Loftus, Amy Nuttall and Paul Ready

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Large cast, Winter weather, exposed stage door (actually there are very few covered stage doors at London theatres) was the bad news. The good news was they were all good signers if you were good enough to meet them.

I required the nine cast members of Noises Off to sign my sketch at the Old Vic in January 2012. In alphabetical order – Jonathan Coy, Janie Dee, Robert Glenister, Jamie Glover, Celia Imrie, Karl Johnson, Aisling Loftus, Amy Nuttall and Paul Ready. In signing order – completely different. I consulted a few of the ‘zombies’ to figure out the exit and entry behaviour of the said nine – who arrives early, who pops out for a ciggy (and possibly siggy) breaks, who stays back after the shows making sure the Pit Bar makes a profit that week.

A single ‘hit’ visit looked unlikely. Once again I aimed for a Saturday matinée. Hopefully a staggered entrance over an hour wold enable me to get the majority of them. Some had already beaten me – drat – but luckily Robert required some lunch and was happy, as always, to sign.

Janie was also inside, but she was having a nap in preparation for the two performances ahead. It’s a physically demanding show, so I could understand her reasons but that didn’t help my mission. An hour out from curtain and I had all but Celia (who had gone in through the front door to sort some tickets out for friends, so I was told) and Janie. The following Tuesday I collected the duo coming out on my way home from a ‘stalking’ raid in the West End. A successful ‘play’ in two acts!

Sketch: Mikhail Gorbachev

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

It’s always a very pleasant surprise to receive signed items back in the mail – even more so when it’s from someone you REALLY want.

Mikhail Gorbachev was just such a prize. He is considered one of the 20th Century’s most influencial figures. The former and only President of the USSR was responsible for ending the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union through his ‘Perestroika’ and ‘Glasnost’ policies. TIME magazine named him ‘Man of the Year’ in 1987 and ‘Man of the Decade’ two years later. In 1990 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. I drew the biro sketch, based on a TIME photo. For some reason I liked the angle even though it didn’t emphasise his trademark port-stained birthmark, it did capture a man looking to the future.

I decided to send it to him via the Moscow State University, where he graduated with a Law Degree in 1955. As one of their more respected Alumni and an emeritius member of the Political Science Faculty I hoped it might get to him a lot easier than through ‘official ‘ channels. This was in the mid 1990’s, after he no longer held political office. After 6 months, I gave up hope… but on the 7th month a ‘crumpled’ A4 envelope, minus the backing carboard arrived in my letter box, covered with Russian stamps. The artwork was a little battered but a simple black felt pen signature in the lower left-hand side was all that mattered. Many years later, in March 2011 to be precise, I got to ‘meet’ him at London’s Royal Albert Hall to celebrate his 80th birthday. Gorby arrived early and while he wasn’t signing, he did chat away as he headed up the red carpet as the guest of honour at a Gala hosted by Kevin Spacy and Sharon Stone.

Cartoon: Pope Francis I

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

With regards to this, here are my thoughts about the new pope

Drawing: Sophie Thompson, Miranda Raison and John Hefferman in The Physicists at Donmar Warehouse

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

One of my favourite actresses… no, people is Sophie Thompson (younger sister of Emma… another one of my favourites). Many will know her from Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. In fact, what British performer isn’t in that franchise? Or even Eastenders for the soap slaves?

I met Sophie after a performance of the racial satire Claybourne Park at Wyndham’s Theatre and asked her to sign a sketch. She loved it so much I gave her a copy. A week later she sent me a lovely thank you note. Her handwriting and ‘spiral’ signature is very distinctive.

She has an enchanting, bubbly personality that makes you want to spend more time with her. She could probably turn you down and you would still feel happy.

In July 2012 I did another sketch of Sophie, along with Miranda Raison and John Hefferman from the Donmar Warehouse production of the critically acclaimed The Physicists. Miranda, with an equally infectious personality, signed for me while she was in Anne Boleyn at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2010. She is best remembered as Jo Portman in the TV series Spooks.

I asked Sophie if she would kindly sign the sketch and ask Miranda and John to do the same. Sure as eggs, she completed the task and returned it along with copies for each to keep, and along with her customary and welcomed complimentary note.

Drawing: Kevin Spacey in Richard III at The Old Vic Theatre

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The enigmatic multi award-winning actor, Kevin Spacey has been the Old Vic’s Artistic Director since 2003. His efforts have been recognised by a variety of accolades, including an honorary CBE from the Queen.

On stage, I have been fortunate enough (without paying a fortune) to see Kevin in two productions at the theatre. Inherit the Wind and Richard III. The latter reunited director Sam Mendes with Kevin for the first time since their successful collaboration in the Oscar winning film American Beauty.

With Kevin in the title role as the tyrant monarch (although his newly found skull, found under a Leicester car park, suggested he did not have the face of a deformed despot, which pleased the anti-Shakespeare/pro-Richard faction) the production began at the Old Vic in mid 2011, followed by a worldwide tour, culminating in a New York season in 2012.

With his other play and at various public appearances such as opening nights, premieres, even Mikhail Gorbachev‘s 80th birthday bash (Kevin was MC) at the Royal Albert Hall. I have always found him a generous and gracious signer.

He even had his own ‘siggy stall’ – a custom built signing window next to the Old Vic stage door, which he stands behind after each performance, signs and poses for pics. However, for Richard III he did not use the protective porthole and did not sign at all. It was probably due to the taxing final scenes in which he hangs upside down for some length of time. It would take a while for him to stabilise into a Sharpie controlling state. So I left the sketch at the stage door with a note and a stamped self-addressed envelope. It was returned to me within the week.