About Mark Winter / Chicane

Cartoonist. Artist. Illustrator. Oh, and autograph hunter.

Drawing: Kara Tointon and Rupert Everett in Pygmalion

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The Chichester production of George Bernard Shaw’s greatest play Pygmalion, transferred to London’s West End for a three month season at the Garrick Theatre in the Summer of 2011.

New cast member Kara Tointon, previously know for Eastenders and winning Strictly Come Dancing made a terrific West End stage debut as the cockney guttersnipe Eliza Doolittle, who transforms from torturing innocent vowels into a toff with a posh elocution when becoming the subject of a bet between Professor of Phonetics and confirmed bachelor Henry Higgins and a fellow linguist .

Rupert Everett reprised the role of his devilish and unconventional Higgins from Chichester.

Drawing: Sarah Goldberg in Clybourne Park at Wyndham’s Theatre

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Canadian film, television and stage actress Sarah Goldberg made a swift impression on the London Theatre scene. After graduating form the prestigious London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art she stayed on and picked up an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in Bruce Norris’ Pulitzer Prize winning play Clybourne Park. An ensemble of seven versatile actors plays two sets of characters in a black comedy of manners, fifty years apart.

Sarah played dual roles of Betsy, a deaf, pregnant wife of a racist community activist in the 1950s and Lindsey, the contemporary and also pregnant home buyer whose renovations disturb her African American neighbours.

The production premiered in the UK in August 2010 at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by Dominic Cooke before transferring to Wyndham’s in London’s West End with most of the original cast.

Drawing: Ryan The Bisexual Lion

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Ryan The Bisexual Lion is the star of the smash hit solo stand-up show called Sex with Animals. He is the altered-ego of American creator and writer Ryan Good, a longtime member of the Neo-Futurists experimental theatre company.

The title is a bit of a misdirection, but “definitely grabs people’s attentions,” says Ryan. “It’s a show folks – not a lot a call to action! Relax”. He assures everyone that no animals are harmed or pleasured in the making of his show. The idea was sparked after his trip to the Galapagos Islands and the tale of Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island tortoise who was given one last try to carry on his subspecies, but “at the ultimate moment, nothing materialised.”

He uses the animal anecdotes, from gay penguins and monogamous albatrosses, to boobies (the rare blue-footed Ecuadorian bird) to explore relationship experiences where gender, sexuality and dating is becoming in Ryan’s words, “increasingly fluid”. No stone is left un-humped!

His real aim is to put a human face on the topics with details about his own unconventional sex life… wearing an extremely tight, shiny, lion leotard.

“Lions are easily the most ferocious badass creatures out there and the males in particular scurry off into the forest and have 48 hour parties where they play with each other sexually”. Ryan says it’s a chance for people to work out what level of monogamy they should be at.

The show is an expedition through the often hilarious and occasionally profound sexual habits of the animal kingdom. The poster states that it is “Eddie Izzard meets David Attenborough on Grindr”. Ryan returned this year to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival after a sell out run in 2013. He won the Adelaide Fringe Best Comedy Award earlier this year and had a three week residency at Islington’s Hope Theatre in London before arriving back in the Scottish capital, where he signed this sketch. Rarrrrrrr!

Drawing: Fiona Button and Elliot Cowan in An Ideal Husband at the Vaudeville Theatre

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Lindsay Posner’s production of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, a classic comedy of political blackmail and corruption played London’s Vaudeville Theatre during the festive season of 2010.

Wilde gave the funniest lines to Lord Arthur Goring. SOme have suggested that the character with his similar wit and fashion to be based on the playwright himself. The ‘dandy’ was portrayed by Elliot Cowan, with his fancy threads and wayward habits, which critics agreed made “a splendidly lived in hero”.

He is engaged to Miss Mabel Chiltern, who, at half his age, is play by Fiona Button, “…whose silken repartee flowed as elegantly as her skirts”.

Her line “An ideal husband! Oh, I don’t think I should like that,” sums up her innocence. Both Fiona and Elliot signed this black biro sketch amongst the snow flurries at the uncovered Vaudeville stage door.

Drawing: Cillian Murphy Stephen Rea and Mikel Murfi in Ballyturk

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Enda Walsh’s latest play Ballyturk opens on the Lyttelton stage at London’s National Theatre next week (11 September 2014) directed by the playwright for one month only. Since premiering at the Galway Arts Festival in July, it has been a sell out smash hit at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin and the Cork Opera House.

Cillian Murphy returns to the National following his electrifying solo performance in Enda’s Misterman. He is joined by the author’s long time collaborator Mikel Murfi and internationally acclaimed film and theatre actor Stephen Rea.

Michael Billington in The Guardian called it “a manic physical comedy like Under Milk Wood as interpreted by Buster Keaton”. Irish critic Fintan O’Toole simply called it “Eric and Ernie” (Cillian and Mikel) two innocent men, simply identified as one and two, who share a bed but are not lovers, in a windowless basement covered in layers of pencil drawings, in an imagined Irish no-place called Ballyturk. Character 3 (Stephen) enters the frenetic desperation on stage as a quiet, anti-climatic chain-smoking deus ex machina (this is a plot device, it’s from Latin meaning ‘go from the machine’ and is used by the writer to solve seemingly insolvable problems with a new character or event) who terrifies them!

Ballyturk is a continuation of Walsh’s last collaboration with Cillian and Mikel in Misterman. Enda said he and all three actors in mind when he wrote the piece.

All three kindly signed my sketch at the Olympia during the production’s run in mid-August.

Drawing: Colin Firth

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Colin Firth – or as a large number of his adoring female admirers like to call him, ‘Mr Darcy’ – is always accommodating with the public, myself included.

At this week’s GQ Men of the Year 2014 Awards (where he picked up the Best Leading Man gong), he ‘walked the line’ signing autographs, shaking hands and posing for pics with all who had gathered outside the Royal Opera House in London.

Colin actually played a Mr Darcy on three occasions; once in Pride and Prejudice (1995), then in Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001) and again in the sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004). But both of his Oscar nominated roles came from playing a character named ‘George’. He was George Falconer in A Single Man in 2009, and King George VI in The King’s Speech the following year for which he won the award. He often jokes about his first name “It doesn’t exactly have a ring to hit… it’s more the sort of name you’d give your goldfish for a joke.”

The ‘Mr Darcy’ label has stuck since 1995. Colin says, “he is a figure that won’t die. I can’t control him”. There was even a woman in hospital, diagnosed with high blood pressure, who was told not to watch any more Pride and Prejudice. She was 103.

I drew this sketch a couple years ago and never really intended to get it signed. I had planned to draw him on stage, but haven’t gotten around to it. As it happened, I didn’t have a Samuel L. Jackson, a Gerard Butler, a Lewis Hamilton, a Nicole Scherzinger, a Kim Kardashian or a Kanye West or a Ringo Starr (not that he’s signing these days) or an Iggy Pop drawing on me, who all passed by on their way in at the Opera House. For some reason Colin’s sketch was in my folder in my bag and it was soon in front of him. He gave a complimentary nod and signed it… Colin Firth, not ‘Mr Darcy’

Drawing: Sunny Gavaskar

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The diminutive Indian batsman Sunil ‘Sunny’ Gavaskar is regarded as one of, if not the greatest, opening batsmen in cricket history. He was certainly the most successful in the 1970s and 80s.

During his career he set world records for the most test runs and the most test centuries scored by a batsman. In 125 test appearances he scored 10,122 runs at an average of 51.12 and in 108 ODIs he reached 3,092 runs. He has compiled 34 test centuries with a top score of 236 not out against the West Indies in Madras. It was his 30 ‘ton’ in his 99th match, overtaking the great Don Bradman‘s 29 test centuries record. Subsequently the other ‘little master’ Sachin Tedndulkar has passed him with 51. His style was technical correctness over flair, which is suited for test matches rather than the shorter versions of the game. He was particularly skilled at playing fast bowling with immaculate defence and hooking and pulling in equal measure.

Drawing: Shoaib Akhtar “The Rawalpindi Express”

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Pakistani former quick Shoaib Akhtar is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He is officially recorded as bowling the fastest delivery at 161.3kph against New Zealand in 2002 and was the first of only three cricketers to have been recorded bowling over 100mph.

The mercurial Shoaib’s career could be summed up in three words: speed, scandal and showmanship. His stellar success has been marred by several controversies and consistent injuries, including bans for failed drugs tests, subsequent acquittals, criticising authorities, abusing match officials and players, poor attitude, fighting with team mates and management, and ball tampering.

He finished his 46-match test career in India in 2007 with 178 wickets. His 163rd and last ODI was against New Zealand at Pallekele in March 2011. He finished with 247 dismissals.

Known for his bowling, Shoaib actually holds a batting world record for remaining not out in 12 successive ODI innings.

He signed my sketch at the Westpac stadium in Wellington during the 5th ODI against New Zealand on 17th January 2004.

Drawing: Sarah Green in The Cripple of Inishmaan

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Cork born actress Sarah Greene’s memorable performance as ‘Slippy’ Helen McCormick in Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan gained her recognition on both sides of the Atlantic. The dark Irish comedy was the middle production in Michael Grandage‘s 5 play season at the Noël Coward Theatre in London’s West End.

Sarah’s portrayal of the feisty redhead prone to picking fights and breaking eggs over people’s heads opposite Daniel Radcliffe’s ‘Cripple Billy’ earned her an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role . When the play transferred to The Cort Theater on Broadway she picked up a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress. She was awarded the 2014 World Theater Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut.

During its run on the West End, Sarah’s breaks were usually at the stage door, partaking of the tobacco. She was always happy to chat and friendly to everyone. I drew some ‘Helen’ sketches which Sarah signed, but this one was a quick two minute portrait which I thought captured her nicely ‘out of character’.

Drawing: Lisa Dwan in Not I, Footfalls and Rockaby

Posted on August 30, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Irish actress Lisa Dwan has just completed a two week solo season of three short works by fellow Celt Samuel Beckett, following critically acclaimed sold-out performances at the Royal Court Theatre and the West End. Not I, Footfalls and Rockaby completed its sold out run today (30 August 2014) at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room in Central London as part of the Festival of Love.

Lisa plays the part of Mouth in Not I, a nine minute monologue where the audience sees only a woman’s disembodied mouth suspended eight feet above a black stage. To achieve this Lisa wears black makeup, a black blindfold, covers her hair with black tights, then straps her head to a blackboard with a hole in it – so that her mouth stays in the single beam of light. She first performed the piece in 2005.

It’s certainly one of the most challenging stage roles with total sensory deprivation. “I can’t see or hear anything. It’s like driving down the motorway the wrong way with no handbrake – it’s terrifying… but it’s almost the most exhilarating role I’ve ever known,” Lisa said in an interview. The crucial thing is it’s done at speed – after a lifetime of virtual speechlessness, the character has ‘verbal diarrhoea’.

Completing the Becket trilogy is Footfalls, the moving story of May who moves back and forth like a metronome on a bare landing outside her dying mother’s room, and his most famous piece Rockaby with a woman recounting moments form her past sitting in her rocking chair. Metro called it “A mesmerising, heart-wrenching, terrifying triple.” The Standard simply said, “sensationally good” and The Telegraph said, “A stunning performance.”