Drawing: Amy Adams as The Baker’s Wife in Into The Woods

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

amy-adams

Last time five time Oscar nominee Amy Adams signed a sketch for me the weather gods were not kind, but she was and managed to graph my drawing despite the drops. This time the rain threatened… but that’s all at the Gala Screening of Tom Ford’s intoxicating thriller NOCTURNAL ANIMALS at the BFI London Film Festival on Friday night. I did this drawing of Amy as the Baker’s Wife in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony-Award winning musical INTO THE WOODS which was part of the Delacorte Theatre’s 2012 summer series in New York’s Central Park.

I was especially pleased because she only did a small section of the crowd in a restricted red carpet area at the Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square and she was only signing her quick, shortened double ‘a’ initial sig (which I quite like). With the sketch she took the time to chat and only dedicate, but the sign her full autograph.

Drawing: Brenda Blethyn

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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I meet the wonderful British actress Brenda Blethyn on Saturday afternoon at the world premiere of the animated feature ETHEL & ERNEST at the Curzon cinema as part of the 60th BFI London Film Festival. Brenda voiced the title character Ethel in this film version of Raymond Brigg’s graphic novel about the life of his parents. Currently appearing in the sixth series of the TV drama VERA as DCI Vera Stanhope, Brenda’s breakthrough role was Cynthia Rose Purley in Mike Leigh’s SECRETS & LIES in 1996, which won her the Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and the first of her two Oscar nominations. Equally successful stage career, winning an Olivier Award in Michael Frayn’s 1984’s BENEFACTORS.

I had hoped to catch Brenda going in, but was unable to. She stayed for the screening and did a Q+A at its conclusion which took a few hours but the wait was well worth it, as she happily signed my portrait with her superb ‘graph.

Cartoons this week

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

A couple of cartoons from this week’s harvest with apologies to Mr King and Hanna-Barbera.

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Drawing: Isabelle Huppert

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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It’s early days in the Oscar race, but Isabelle Huppert’s performance in the psychological thriller ELLE has her in nomination contention. Many pundits believe that the veteran French actress pulls off one of the year’s most challenging characters -a rape victim who refuses to let her abuse define her. In Dutch director Paul Verhoeven’s first feature for a decade, Isabelle plays Michele who stalks her attacker. After a strong showing in competition at Cannes, the film has been selected as France’s official entry in the Foreign Language category at next year’s Academy Awards.

Isabelle has appeared in over 100 films and TV productions since 1971, winning a BAFTA and a record 15 nominations for France’s highest film award, the Cesar, winning in 1995 for LA CEREMONIE. She was in London last week with Paul attending the ELLE in-competition screening at this year’s BFI London Film Festival where she signed my drawing.

Drawing: Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalen in Two Man Show

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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Two women look at masculinity and patriarchy in TWO MAN SHOW, the latest hit show from RashDash’s high octane duo, Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalen. Actually it’s three women, Becky Wilkie joins them as the production’s musician. The eighty minute genre-defying sketch exploration of gender, language and humankind played this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, before a sold out month’s residency at London’s Soho Theatre. It won the 2016 Fringe First Award and due to demand will return for another run in early 2017.

The VERY physical theatre uses a combination of performance styles including music and dance to communicate what it means to be a man and a woman. As Abbi says on their website, “I make all the shows with Helen. We always give ourselves the best parts. At the moment we are making shows that are big and messy and angry.” Helen adds, “I couldn’t imagine performing in a RashDash show where I wasn’t a breathless, sweaty mess by the end.” In between all their theatrical turbulence they both found time to sign my sketch at the Soho.

Drawing: Ken Stott and Reece Shearsmith in The Dresser

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

the-dresser

THE DRESSER, considered Ronald Harwood’s greatest play, returned to the West End this month at the Duke of York’s Theatre with Ken Stott as ‘Sir’ and Reece Shearsmith as his devoted dresser Norman, directed by Sean Foley.

The story of an ageing actor’s personal assistant who struggles to keep his charge’s life together takes place over the course of one night in a small English regional theatre during the Second World War. It’s based on Sir Ronald’s own experience as the dresser for English actor-manager Sir Donald Wolfit who is the model for ‘Sir.’

The Oscar-winning playwright is always puzzled by the play’s popularity. When it opened at Manchester’s Exchange Theatre in 1980 he thought it would only last six weeks. It’s been a long six weeks. The original production transferred to the Queen’s Theatre in London’s West End a few months later before moving to Broadway and in 1983 a film starring Albert Finney as Sir and Tom Courtenay as Norman (who reprised the role in both stage and screen versions) was released. In all formats THE DRESSER was nominated for multiple Olivier, Tony and Academy, BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards.

I caught up with Ken and Reece earlier this week at the Duke of York’s during previews before tomorrow night’s opening and they signed my Dresser drawing for me.

Drawing: Jasper Britton as Charles II in The Libertine

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

jasper-britton

I read that versatile British actor Jasper Britton spent a number of years as an assistant stage manager and sound operator until in 1989 he marched into Jonathan Miller’s Old Vic office and threatened to stay there unless he as given an audition for KING LEAR. His subsequent King of France to Eric Porter’s Lear was the start of a distinguished stage career, punctuated by playing monarchs at The National and under Mark Rylance’s tenure at Shakespeare’s Globe. His latest is Charles II in THE LIBERTINE at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, captured here in majestic 4B.

The ignoble British sovereign spent many an hour in the company of the notorious 17th century rake and poet John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester and the many… shall we politely say, fallen daughters of Eve. He is one of the only characters in the play to stand up to Rochester and grants him a valuable commission with the proviso, ”Don’t fuck it up.” Paul Taylor wrote in the Independent, “The best performance of the evening comes from Jasper Britton who brilliantly captures the posturing, overripe Charles II’s unnerving swings between chumminess and assertion.”

Jasper’s mode of transport to the theatre is a motorbike. Don’t ask me the make or model, but it’s big and fast. Clad in resplendent grey leathers, befitting royalty he arrived for Saturday’s matinee on the said cycle, popped into the stage door to sign in and sort out the removal of his garb, then sauntered back out to sign this drawing.

Drawing: Corinne Winters and Angela Brower in Cosi fan tutte

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

cosi

Two of America’s young and up-and-coming opera singers, soprano Corinne Winters and mezzo-soprano Angela Brower both made their Covent Garden debut last month as the leads in the new production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s ‘fiancé-swapping’ Italian ‘buffa’ (comic) opera COSI FAN TUTTE, currently running at the Royal Opera House. It’s full title ‘Cosi fan tutte Ossia La Sculoa deli amanti’ literally means ‘Thus Do They (women) All’, but is usually translated ‘Women Are Like That’ or ‘The School of Lovers’.

The Libretto (that’s the words) was written by Lorenzo Du Ponte and was first performed at Vienna’s Burgtheater in January 1790. Fiancées and sisters Fiordiligi (Corinne) and Dorabella (Angela) discover that their lovers are leaving to “go to war’ and two handsome strangers in disguise arrive on a mission of seduction. My mission was a less lofty aspiration-sigduction, and Corinne and Angela were happy to oblige, signing my sketch

Drawing: Ricky Gervais

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

ricky-gervais

“It’s OK folks, I won’t be doing this again,” assured British comedian Ricky Gervais, while hosting the 2010 Golden Globe Awards. But he did… another three times. His acerbic remarks stunned Hollywood stars more accustomed to flattery and pandering. “It’s going to be a night of partying and drinking – or as Charlie Sheen calls it: breakfast,” is a tame example of his ‘Globalizations’.

Ricky actually started out as a pop star in the 1980.s before turning to comedy, creating the delusional and idiosyncratic David Brent in THE OFFICE in 2001 and Andy Millman in EXTRAS four years later-both mockumentary sitcoms written and directed with Stephen Merchant. Over that time he has picked up a few gongs himself, including seven BAFTAS, five British Comedy Awards, two Emmys and three Golden Globes. Channel 4 placed him third on the list of greatest stand-up comics and 2010 TIME magazine included him in their top 100 most influential people.

This year Ricky reprised his David Brent role and his early pop star yearnings in the feature film DAVID BRENT: LIFE ON THE ROAD and this month is on the road with his band, Foregone Conclusion as part of a UK Tour. I did this sketch and planned to get it signed at the film’s premiere in Leicester Square, but Ricky aka David was performing on a pop-up stage, which made access to him a tad difficult. And given that one of his TV characters, the genetically-inferior Derek was created as a result of ‘his suffering from autograph-hunter’ I thought it best to drop it in to his agent in London, and it arrived back yesterday graphed and dedicated.

Drawing: Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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“Hold on to your music, it will be your best friend,” was the last thing young 14 year-old Austrian piano prodigy Lisa Jura’s mother told her as she boarded the ‘Kindertransport’ in 1938 bound for London. She was one of the 10,000 Jewish children bought to England before WW2 as part of the mission to rescue them from the threat of the Nazi regime and it’s anti-Semitic violence. Torn from her family and just about to embark on a concert career in Vienna, Lisa spent the war years, surviving the Blitz in a rambling hostel that housed 30 children on Willesden Lane in North London. She later resumed to her concert career and married French Resistance hero Michel Golabek, moving to Los Angeles in the early 1950’s.

In 2002 their daughter and renowned concert pianist, Grammy-nominated Mona Golabek co-wrote with Lee Cohen, the book ‘The Children of Willesden Lane’ that chronicles her mother’s wartime experiences. She adapted the publication into a one woman play, THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE, which opened at LA’s Geffen Playhouse in April 2012 and transferred to London’s St Jame’s Theatre in January this year, selling out and receiving a galaxy of stars from all the critics. The Londonist said, “Effortlessly moving, joyful, sobering and spellbinding.” Due to the demand, Mona has returned for an encore season until 22 October. I left this drawing at the theatre and she kindly signed and dedicated it for me, returning it with a thank you note.