Drawing: Patrick Stewart in Shakespeare

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The Cut Bar at the Young Vic is a popular theatre restaurant. Named after the street location rather than the state of its patrons…. mostly, it provides a convivial place to wait for the talent as they slip through to the stage door and the bar’s western hall.

I had heard that Sir Patrick wasn’t likely to sign going in, so left this sketch of him in his role as William Shakespeare in Bingo at the theatre rather than suffer a rejection in person. I was finishing a quiet ale in the aforementioned establishment, when Captain Picard walked past me. I was sketching at the time and he complimented me, we exchanged some pleasantries, but I decided not to mention my request. The Shakespeare sketch was returned, signed.

Sketch: Salvador Dali

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

My friend Bob loved Salvador Dali, so I did this drawing for him. He has the original on his wall in his living room. I also decorated his letterbox in true Dali style, drippy clocks and all.

Quite like the drawing, so thought I would share it.

Drawing: Roger Allam

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Roger Allam was the original Javert in the London production of Les Misérables – one of his many high profile parts in an illustrious theatrical career, which has included winning three Olivier Awards.

He signed this sketch at Shakespeare’s Globe in October 2010, playing the role of Falstaff in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 for which he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor. He is currently back on stage at the Globe playing Prospero in The Tempest and on the telly as Magister Illyrio Mopatis in the popular Game of Thrones.

Drawing: Dame Edna and Barry Humphries

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Sent my sketch of Dame Edna Everage to the New Wimbledon Theatre in January 2012 and received this back:

Drawing: Adrien Brody in The Pianist

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

A sketch of Adrien Brody from The Pianist (2002), directed by Roman Polanski, who won the Oscar for Best Director and Adrien became the youngest actor (age 29) to win the Best Actor Academy Award and the only American actor to receive the French César Award.

He was filming King Kong at Stone Street Studios in Wellington, New Zealand in late 2009 and was happy to sign my sketch.

Drawing: Benedict Cumberbatch in After The Dance

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Due to the popularity of this post, here are two more of my Benedict Cumberbatch sketches:

Benedict signed these sketches at the National Theatre stage door after a performance of After The Dance in August 2010

Drawing: Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss in The Children’s Hour

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss signed this sketch for me at the Comedy Theatre stage door after a performance of The Children’s Hour on the 30th March 2011.

Drawing: Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller in Frankenstein

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Danny Boyle returned to theatre direction with an adapted version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein by Nick Dear at the National Theatre in London in 2011.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternated the two lead roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature. On the 17th and 19th of March 2011, the production was broadcast to cinemas around the world as part of the National Theatre Live programme.

Benedict and Jonny both shared the Olivier Award and the London Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for their respective performances. However, the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards’ Best Performance by an Actor in a Play was given solely to Benedict.

They both signed my programme after I saw one of the two world premiere opening nights in February 2011 (Benedict was the Creature, Jonny was Frankenstein) but a signed sketch never came back from the theatre. I drew another one and waited until Jonny was attending a Dark Shadows premiere in Leicester Square in May 2012 and he gladly signed for me. But I couldn’t get Benedict until he was at the latest Star Trek: Into Darkness world premiere, also in Leicester Square. Amongst a real frenzy I managed to get his attention. He loved the sketch, and dedicated it for me, saying “great drawing”.

Cartoon: Russell Crowe

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

New Zealand-born Russell Crowe returned to his hometown of Wellington in April 2006 with his band “The Ordinary Fear of God” (TOFOG) as part of a three gig tour. His former band “Thirty Odd Food of Grunts” dissolved and evolved into the new TOFOG the previous year.

In 2002, he won a Golden Globe for his performance in A Beautiful Mind, and went on to win the BAFTA, but missed out on the Oscar when Denzel Washington pipped him for Training Day. However, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association gave him the Globe, but didn’t have a gong for New Zealand’s big hope, Peter Jackson’s first instalment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring.

I sent him a copy of an editorial cartoon I did back then to mark the event. He signed and sent it back – writing his name under his usual ‘Russell’ siggy, just in case I didn’t know it was his ‘graph.

Drawing: Andrew Sachs and Manuel

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Yesterday I received back in the mail (very quickly, I might add) my sketch of Andrew Sachs as the infamous Manuel, which completes my set of drawings from the Fawlty Towers series. My John Cleese drawing is here, and Connie Booth and Prunella Scales are here.