About Mark Winter / Chicane

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

Drawing: Arthur Darvill in Once at the Phoenix Theatre

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

British musician and actor Arthur Darvill’s small screen notoriety includes the concerned vicar of Broadchurch, and Rory Williams, the eleventh Doctor’s companion in Dr Who for three seasons, until he disembarked from the Tardis, killed off by the Weeping Angels.

Arthur has composed music for three London productions, The Frontline (Globe), Been So Long (Young Vic) and The Lightning Child (Globe) and has trod on the city’s boards in Our Boys (Duchess), Doctor Faustus (Globe) and Been So Long (Young Vic) and Swimming With Sharks (Vaudeville) with Doctor Who co-star Matt Smith.

And he also collects taxidermy, which seems to be a common hobby for a few people I’ve sketched. After an eight month run as Guy, the Irish busking vacuum cleaner repairman, in the musical Once at the Bernard B Jacobs Theater on Broadway, Arthur continued the role in the London production in march this year for a limited engagement.

I caught up with him at the Phoenix Theatre stage door midweek with my drawing. He said “It looks better than me,” but signed it anyway with a ‘nice’ comment.

Drawing: Billy Hayes in Riding the Midnight Express

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

In 1970, American student Billy Hayes was caught with two kilograms of hashish at Istanbul airport and sentenced to four years imprisonment. Weeks from his release, the Turkish High Court changed his charge from ‘possession’ to ‘smuggling’ and increased the sentence to ‘life’. In 1975 he made a dramatic escape in a rowboat from his incarceration on the island prison to Greece, where he was interrogated and deported back to the States and freedom. He went from criminal to counterculture hero,recounting his experiences in the book, ‘Midnight Express’, which was also adapted into the classic and controversial 1978 film of the same title. Directed by Alan Parker, the screenplay was written by Oliver Stone, who went on to win his first Oscar for the adaption. He fictionalised parts of the book and according to Billy, missed the most exciting segment of the story-the daring escape. The violent and uncivilised portrayal of Turkey saw a 90 per cent drop in the country’s tourism numbers and Billy Hayes became public enemy number 1 in that country. He has spent the last thirty years trying to deal with the perception of the film. After a successful off Broadway run with his one-man show, ‘RIDING THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS’ , Billy has bought it to the Soho Theatre in London. “As much as I like the film, I’ve always had problems with it and I’m so delighted to really tell my story, my way with my words’, he said. In 2007,he finally returned to Turkey and offered a public apology. Oliver Stone did likewise. I met Billy at the Soho this week,where he signed my sketch. The show finishes on Sunday 13 April, 2014.

Lest We Forget

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Tamara Rojo is the Canadian born Spanish ballet dancer who is the Artistic Director of the English National Ballet (ENB), as well as its Lead Principal. The Telegraph calls her “one of the greatest ballerinas alive today” she combines “talent, technique, brains, beauty and artistic ambition and interpretive brilliance” writes Mark Monahan. For more than a decade she was the star dancer at the Royal Ballet and still makes guest appearances.

Her latest project is Lest We Forget, a compelling quartet of strongly-styled pieces inspired by the centenary of The Great War, marking ENB’s debut at the Barbican.

Critics agree, it’s Tamara’s boldest move since she became director, and the most exciting. She commissioned three big name and radically different choreographers to create their first works for the ENB. Liam Scarlett’s No Man’s Land is about loss and longing, danced to the music of Liszt. Russell Maliphant’s Second Breath follows the men at the front and the mounting numbers of dead and Akram Khan’s Dust explores the impact of war on women and the changes it brings. Tamara and Akram perform a duet, which I sketch.

The Independent called it “moving and ambitious… dancing full of pain and power.” Tamara also featured in the new classy black and white Lexus ‘Poise’ commercial, which I’ve also included in the sketch.

Lest We Forget continues until Saturday 12 April 2014.

Drawing: Paul Michael Glaser in A Fiddler on the Roof

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Paul Michael Glaser began his acting career on Broadway, appearing in several productions before playing Perchik in the 1971 film version of Fiddler on the Roof. He became a household name as Detective Dave Starsky in the iconic US cop show Starsky and Hutch alongside David Soul.

Paul returns to the stage in the lead role of Tevye for a seven month UK tour of Fiddler on the Roof, directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood. It ran at London’s New Wimbledon Theatre last week where Paul kindly signed and dedicated my sketch. The tour ends in May 2014.

Drawing: Francesca Annis in Versailles

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The respected English actress Francesca Annis has a career spanning 7 decades, starting in her teens in the 1950s. Her distinguished career covers the complete spectrum from stage and screen winning a BAFTA (1979) for her portrayal of celebrated actress Lillie Langtry in he miniseries Lillie.

In the 1970s she became a schoolboy object of desire with her trademark voluptuous figure and deep, sultry voice. While attending Otago Boys’ High School in Dunedin, New Zealand, the junior school went to a screening of Roman Polanski’s film adaption of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, financed by Hugh Hefner. Giveaway clue. Francesca played Lady Macbeth, who delivers the notorious sleep walking soliloquy… naked. One of my more memorable educational ventures. Say no more.

Francesca has just completed her run in Peter Gill’s Versailles marking a centenary of the outbreak of the Great War. I met her at the stage door after a performance in the final week and she was delightful. A handful of collectors, coincidentally about the same vintage as I, were there.

Clothes did come into the conversation, but only after I asked her what project she planned to do next. “A lot of washing,” she laughed, and signed my sketch.

Drawing: Imogen Poots

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Fast rising British star, Imogen Poots, must be the busiest actress on the planet at the moment. At the tender age of 24, she has featured in 19 films over the past 8 years. Since her break in the zombie horror flick 28 Weeks Later, Imogen has appeared in such productions as Filth with James McAvoy, A Long Way Down with Pierce Brosnan and The Look of Love, for which she won Best Supporting Actress at the British Independent Film Awards last year.

Drawing: Frances Ruffelle

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Frances Ruffelle’s name must appear near the top of a list of great people in British Musical Theatre.

She originated the role of Eponine in both the West End and Broadway productions of the blockbuster musical Les Misérables, winning the Tony award in 1987. Frances also represented the UK in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing 10th singing Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free). She also the original Dinah in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original London production of Starlight Express in 1984 at the age of 16. Frances played the female lead Roxie Hart in Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre in London from September 2003 to June 2004. She reprised the role for the show’s 10th anniversary in 2007 and continued in the production into 2008.

Frances returned to the London stage recently to play the deranged but vulnerable mum of London mapmaker Phyllis Pearsall in The A to Z of Mrs P at the Southwark Playhouse where she signed my sketch.

Drawing: Cameron Diaz

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

A dilemma presented itself at the Gala Screening of The Other Woman at London’s Curzon Mayfair this week, when Cameron Diaz walked the carpet. I drew two sketches of her to get ‘graphed. The close up was over worked. The more I worked the 4B, the more it became apparent it just wasn’t to be. You can spend too much time on a drawing and lose your reference. It didn’t seem to me to resemble the subject. Everything was there – the clear eyes, lip shape and dimples, but somehow it was lost in translation, and too static – like a statue.

I quickly sketched another – minimal lines, with more energy in order to capture her ‘being’ and not just an anatomical copy. But, which one to give her to sign? Since, of course, the PAs insist, “only one”. Most people around me loved the close up, more dramatic and it was certainly her. There’s always the fear that the subject will reject. I could present both and let Cameron decide? Too awkward, holding both and filming while the adoring multitude press over the top of you.

In the end I looked at her. She was bouncy, laughing, animated and seemed genuinely happy with the world and where she was in it that balmy Spring evening. So I opted for number 2 because it best represented her at the time. She was happy to sign it and thanked me. Everyone said I should have got the portrait signed. Oh well, maybe next time…

Drawing: Isy Suttie

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Isobel ‘Isy’ Suttie does stand up, acts, writes, sings, composes and plays music. Probably easier to list what she doesn’t do, which isn’t much. She’s won plenty of awards to show that what she does, she does well, including Loaded Magazine’s Funniest Female, British Comedy Awards, Songwriting and Jazz Awards and recently a Gold Radio Academy Award for her radio show Pearl and Dave.

Best known for her role as Dobby in the British TV sitcom Peep Show, she has just finished a season of The A-Z of Mrs P at the Southwark Playhouse in London. She played the title character in a retelling of the myth and even more remarkable reality behind the handy, all-purpose pocket sized A-Z Street Guide of 23,000 Streets. Isy signed this sketch at the theatre.

Drawing: Emma Watson

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Without a doubt, the biggest attraction at Monday’s UK premiere of Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic Noah was Emma Watson, judging by the volume of ovations when her name was mentioned (several times) and the number of teenage girls in the crowd, of biblical proportions. There was, of course, a sizeable share of male admirers.

As usual Emma signed for as much of the line as her other commitments allowed her, I drew this sketch about a year ago, when Emma had her post-Potter pixie crop, and carried it around but kept missing her at the odd event she attended in London.

She looked genuinely amazed with it, “what a beautiful drawing,” and took time to chat. Judging by the inscription I felt pretty pleased with my day.