Drawing: Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Described by the Guinness Book of World Records as ‘the world’s greatest living explorer’, Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes 3rd Baronet, more commonly known as Ranulph ‘Ran’ Fiennes celebrated his 75th birthday at the beginning of this month, being interviewed by fellow adventurer and Chief Scout Bear Grylls at London’s Royal Festival Hall, discussing the new edition of his best-selling autobiography
‘Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know’.

It featuring unparalleled stories that mark an unmatched career, including becoming the first person to visit both South and North Poles by surface means, circumnavigating the world on its polar axis using surface transport only and the first person to completely cross Antartica on foot.

In 2003, four months after a heart attack and a double by pass operation, Sir Ranulph completed seven marathons in seven days on seven continents as part of the Land Rover Challenge for the British Heart Foundation. Six years later, at the age of sixty-five he became first person to reach the summit of Mt Everest and cross both polar ice-caps. In 1993 he was recognised by the Queen with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire decoration for “human endeavour and for charitable services.” His exhibitions have raised £14 million for good causes, including the Marie Curie Cancer Care Delivering Choice Programme.

I had hoped to meet Sir Ranulph at the Royal Festival Hall event, but was unable to make it, so sent him this sketch through the mail, which he kindly signed and returned.

Drawing: Gemma Barnett in A Hundred Words For Snow

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Gemma Barnett in A Hundred Words For Snow at the Trafalgar Studios on London's West End

Tatty Hennessy’s ‘outrageously funny and deeply moving’ coming-of-age tale… with polar bears, A HUNDRED WORDS FOR SNOW has transferred to London’s West End with a flurry of excellent reviews and accolades after successful appearances at The Vaults and the Arcola Theatre last year.

Directed by Lucy Jane Atkinson, the one hour, one person play, which mixes polar exploration with teenage awkwardness will run in the Trafalgar Studio 2 until the end of the month. Oxford school of Drama graduate Gemma Barnett plays Rory – short for Aurora – a young woman determined to scatter her dad’s ashes at the North Pole. It was a trip they had planned before he suddenly died in an accident, one last expedition, which the Guardian’s Michael Billington called an “extraordinary story. “The play explores the difficulties and desires of growing up and searching the unknown in a melting world, covering the themes of climate change, feminism and self-discovery.”

As Tatty points out, it’s very relevant, given the UN’s latest stark and startling Climate Chang report. “How traumatic, isolating and overwhelming it must be to lose someone you love and to lose them at 15, to be grieving during puberty,” said Gemma in an interview for London Theatre Direct.

I caught up with Gemma last Saturday at the stage door after her matinee performance, described by James FitzGerald in his WhatsOnStage review as “impassioned and intoxicating,” where she signed my sketch.

Drawing: Dave Myers and Si King aka the Hairy Bikers

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Si King and Dave Myers The Hairy Bikers

My ritual Sunday diet of TV cuisine shows always includes an ample helping of the UK’s most popular cooking duo, Dave Myers and Si King, aka the Hairy Bikers. The exuberant, down-to-earth chefs have had a string of hit television shows over the past twenty years, involving a mixture of cooking and travelogue, creating their own fresh take on culinary classics.

They have now taken to the road on a nationwide tour. AN EVENING WITH THE HAIRY BIKERS is described as an “epic night of cooking and conversation’. The pair rocked up to the iconic London Palladium on Saturday for their only gig in the capital. Luckily I noticed them from my vantage point across the road where I was watching a Six Nations rugby match and partaking of the local hospitality. I quickly raced across to catch them.

After eventually sorting a car park outside the stage door and posing for the obligatory selfies with a few passers-by I asked them to sign my sketch. “Is that a kiwi accent?” asked Si. “Guilty,” I said. That’s why I often put a little stick-note on the drawing ‘To Mark’ to avoid getting ‘Mack’ or ‘Mike’ or some other deviation. But he was conversant with the Antipodean tongue and inscribed correctly.

Drawing: Isabella Rossellini

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of actress Isabella Rossellini

Her mother was the three-time Oscar winning Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and her father the neo-realist master film director Roberto Rossellini. With that parentage and pedigree Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanni Rossellini was destined for a cinematic career… and more. She made her movie debut alongside her mother in Vincent Minnelli’s A MATTER OF TIME in 1976.

Isabella’s most memorable role was as lounge singer Dorothy Vallens in David Lynch’s cult classic BLUE VELVET, a role that won her the Best Female Lead Independent Spirit Award. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe, playing Anna Hauptmann in HBO’s TV film about the Lindbergh kidnapping CRIME OF THE CENTURY and an Emmy nomination for her portrayal as Prof. Marina Giannini in the medical drama CHICAGO HOPE.

Fluent in Italian, French and English, Isabella has had several parallel careers including modelling, where she was the face of the French cosmetics giant Lancôme for a long time and now at the age of 66 she is the company’s global brand ambassador. She has also been a journalist for Italian TV and has written and published three books.

Isabella is an avid dog lover and trains puppies for the blind. Last year she bought her one-woman (and her trained dog, Pan) show, LINK LINK to Queen Elizabeth Hall in London’s Southbank Centre. Described as more of a surreal theatrical lecture, exploring what distinguishes humans from animals with a comic twist, covering everything from animal intelligence to the sex lives of whales. She kindly signed my montage sketch at the stage door afterwards.

Drawing: Danny Dyer in The Dumb Waiter

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Danny Dyer in The Dumb Waiter at the Harold Pinter Theatre on London's West End

A “propa nawty geezer” is how one interviewer described the parts English actor Danny Dyer is famed for, the generic ‘hard man-with-a-heart’. He returned last month to the West End stage as a killer in Harold Pinter’s THE DUMB WAITER, which was part of the Pinter Seven double bill with A SLIGHT ACHE.

It concluded the PINTER AT THE PINTER season, Jamie Lloyd’s ambitious box-set approach to all of the Nobel Laureate’s 21 one-act plays over the past 21 weeks at the theatre named after him.

THE DUMB WAITER, written in 1957 is set in a basement of a Birmingham restaurant, where two cockney hit men, Gus and Ben are preparing to execute an unknown victim as a dumb waiter (a shelf on pulleys) descends from above with food requests. Danny played Ben alongside Martin Freeman as Gus.

Jamie said that Danny, who had a close friendship with the playwright was one of Harold’s favourite actors and considered him a protégé “There were no airs and graces about Harold,” said Danny, “I learned so much from him that set me up for the rest of my career.” THE DUMB WAITER is Danny’s fourth Pinter play. He met Harold in 1999, who cast him as the waiter in CELEBRATION at London’s Almeida Theatre, which transferred to New York’s Lincoln Centre in 2001 as part of the Harold Pinter Season. He followed that with the role of Foster in NO MAN’S LAND at the National Theatre and in 2008 as Joey in THE HOMECOMING back at the Almeida.

Danny’s breakthrough came in 1997 in the cult film HUMAN TRAFFIC as the mad raver Moff. He later said in a Guardian interview that it wasn’t much of a transition “That role was me. I was still living it then. It was the only audition where the first question was “Do you take drugs?” I said, “Yes, I love drugs.” They said, ‘Perfect.” Since 2013 he has played The Queen Victoria pub’s landlord Mick Carter in the BBC TV soap EASTENDERS, winning three National Television Awards.

I left this sketch of Danny as Ben at the stage door on the final day of the PINTER AT THE PINTER season and it came back signed and dedicated with a nice inscription.