Drawing: Nina Sosanya in Frozen

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Nina Sosanya in Frozen at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on London's West End

Nina Sosanya has made a welcome return to the London stage, playing Agnatha, a clinical psychiatrist in the West End revival of Bryon Lavery’s psychological thriller FROZEN, which opened last month for a limited run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

The dark and compelling 1998 three-hander with Suzanne Jones and Jason Watkins is not for the faint-hearted, dealing with the abduction and murder of a ten-year old girl. Nina’s character looks at the difference between crimes of evil and crimes of illness. This is a rehearsal sketch that Nina kindly signed for me when she arrived for last Saturday’s matinee.

Drawing: Rory Keenan in Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Rory Keenan in Long Day's Journey Into Night at Wyndham's Theatre on London's West End

Irish actor Rory Keenan joined the cast after Richard Eyre’s 2016 production of Eugene O’Neill’s LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT after it transferred to the West End last month. He plays Jamie, one of the Tyrone’s two son’s opposite Jeremy Irons and Lesley Manville in the 1945 study of the hellish damage a sick person can wreck on a family.

This is Rory’s second play under Sir Richard’s direction, having played the title role in LIOLA at the National. He won Best Supporting Actor at the Irish Times Theatre awards for his portrayal of Ronan in THE LAST DAYS OF THE CELTIC TIGER at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre in 2009. His extensive screen work includes PEAKY BLINDERS and the BIRDSONG mini series. In her Arts Desk review for JOURNEY, Ismene Brown wrote, “Rory Keenan’s terrific, (as the) cynical Jamie… roughens and undersells himself to very touching effect.”

I caught up with the likeable and friendly Rory at the Wyndham’s stage door on a bitterly cold lunchtime prior to last Saturday’s matinee and he managed to get the sharpie to work on my sketch.

Drawing: Jessica Regan in Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Jessica Regan in Long Day's Journey Into Night at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End

Kilkenny-born actress Jessica Regan reprised her role as Catherine, the Irish housemaid in Richard Eyre’s revival of Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning family drama, LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT which premiere at the Bristol old Vic in 2016 before transferring to london’s Wyndham’s Theatre. It’s also Broadway-bound after it’s April West End conclusion.

Jessica will be familiar to soap fans, appearing in EASTENDERS and more recently as regular Niamh Donoghue in the BBC’s DOCTORS, for which she won the Best Newcomer at the British Soap Awards.

The Guardian’s Michael Billington wrote that Jessica’s Catherine was a “welcome relief in a play that, if well done, as it is here, leaves you emotionally pulverised.” Allison Vale in the British Theatre Guide said Jessica added “moments of real sparkle.”

It was great to meet her at the stage door after the matinee a couple of Saturdays ago where she signed my sketch.