Drawing: Celine Schoenmaker in Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Celinde Schoenmaker

Dutch songstress Celinde Schoenmaker made her West End debut as the fateful Fantine in LES MISERABLES at the Queen’s Theatre in early 2013, continuing until the summer before retuning to her homeland to appear in LOVE STORY. She returned to the barricades to reprise the role of Fantine in June 2014, before taking on the iconic Christine Daae in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Her Majesty’s in it’s 30th Anniversary year. Christine, the chorus girl and the object of obsession, passion and love for the mysterious Phantom was first played by Sarah Brightman in the original 1986 production.

With leading roles in two of the world’s longest running musicals was reason enough to capture Celinde with my 4B pencil. Obviously she doesn’t appear in every performance and I seemed to pick the ones where she wasn’t, but I eventually caught up with her at the stage door after Saturday’s matinee where she was delighted to sign the drawing for me.

Drawing: Aoife Duffin in A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Aoife Duffin

Annie Ryan’s startling stage adaption of Eimear McBride’s bruising novel A GIRL IS A HALF-FORMED THING arrived at London’s Young Vic last week amid must-see buzz. Premiering at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2014, the unflinching portrait of one girl’s turbulent journey into the adult world was the sellout sensation at the Edinburgh Fringe and is now on a UK and US tour. Aoife Duffin, who plays the ‘girl’, is probably more widely known for her comedic role as Trisha in Chris O’Dowd’s TV sitcom MOONE BOY, has garnered a clutch of acting awards for the acclaimed solo show.

The Guardian, among other mainstream papers gave it 5 stars with The Financial Times calling her 95 minutes on stage “a remarkable performance.” In a relentless monologue about a young woman, brutalised in puritanical Ireland as she ‘people’s the stage with characters encountered during her short life.’

It’s a thriving busy place in the Young Vic, especially on a Friday, so I didn’t notice Aoife leave after her performance until she was outside the venue and heading past the window. I did my bit for method acting and chased her down the street, adding to her traumatised characterisation experience, but she was happy to sign this montage sketch for me.

Drawing: The End of Longing

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The End of Longing

Matthew Perry’s debut play as a writer, the bittersweet dark comedy, THE END OF LONGING premiered at London’s The Playhouse Theatre last month. Directed by Lindsay Posner, Matthew plays Jack, an alcoholic who falls for the sassy $2,500-an-hour hooker Stephanie (Jennifer Mudge). Together with the neurotic Stevie (Cristina Cole) and thick-but-kindly Joseph (Lloyd Owen) the quartet of lost souls, all approaching their forties, spent a raunchy night in a downtown LA bar searching for meaning.

I managed to get Matthew to sign my sketch last Saturday evening, but it was amongst a huge throng of fans, so I couldn’t get the other three cast members. It was a lot easier last night when only a handful of people were at the stage door as they arrived for the Friday night’s performance.

Drawing: Catrin Stewart in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Catrin Stewart

Appropriately named Welsh actress Catrin Stewart is currently playing the ‘cat’, Maggie in Tennessee William’s CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF at the Theatr Clwyd in northeast Wales. Known to TV viewers for her roles as Emma in the comedy drama STELLA, Jenny Flint in DR WHO and Lily in MISFITS, Catrin was last seen on the London stage as the besotted Anya in Chekhov’s THE CHERRY ORCHARD at the Young Vic in late 2014.

The Telegraph’s Chris Bennion, in his four star review described Catrin’s performance as Maggie as “…one tin roof absolutely dominated by its Cat. Catrin Stewart is a superb, captivating Maggie, stealing in scenes in which she doesn’t speak. It’s a delightfully nuanced performance, with real depth that manages to catch Maggie the Cat’s frustration, heartbreak, lust, scheming, bitterness, desperation and wit-often with a single sentence.”

I sent this drawing to Catrin at the intimate hillside theatre and she returned it, signed with a kind dedication.

David Essex in The War of the Worlds

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

David Essex

British singer-songwriter and actor David Essex played The Artilleryman on the original 1978 concept album of Jeff Wayne’s musical version, THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. The two-record set still remains a best – seller in the UK. He has now returned to the project as The Voice of Humanity in the West End debut of the stage version, which is currently running at The Dominion Theatre, where I caught up with him last Saturday and he signed my sketch.

Drawing: Heidi Range in The War of the Worlds

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Heidi Range

Singer-songwriter Heidi Range is currently making her West End debut in Jeff Wayne’s musical version of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS at the Dominion Theatre. The former Sugababes pop star is playing Parson Nathaniel’s wife Beth in the reimagined stage version of the hit 1978 concept album based on the H.G.Wells novel.

Before she faced the might of the Martians, Heidi had to wade through the usual alien creatures at the stage door before last Saturday’s matinee, including myself and this composite drawing of her as Beth and as a Sugababe.