Drawing: Kevin Bishop in Lady Windermere’s Fan

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Kevin Bishop in Lady Windermere's Fan at the Vaudeville Theatre on London's West End

English actor, writer and comedian Kevin Bishop plays the ‘dashingly funny’ (The Times) Lord Darlington in Kathy Burke’s ‘vividly fresh’ revival of Oscar Wilde’s LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN at London’s Vaudeville Theatre.

Kevin is well known to small screen fans for Channel 4’s comedy sketch series THE KEVIN BISHOP SHOW, which he co-wrote with Lee Hupfield and the BBC’s remake of the classic comedy PORRIDGE. His recent London stage appearances include the one-man show FULLY COMMITTED at the Menier Chocolate Factory in which he played 40 characters and ONCE IN A LIFETIME opposite Harry Enfield at the Young Vic.

Playing Lord Darlington gives Kevin a chance to work with two of his comedy heroes, Kathy Burke and Jennifer Saunders and deliver some of Wilde’s memorable lines, such as “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” I met Kevin as he was about to take his dog for a walk between shows on Saturday. I held the leash and he took my sharpie and signed my drawing.

Drawing: Jennifer Saunders in Lady Windermere’s Fan

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Jennifer Saunders in Lady Windermere's Fan at the Vaudeville Theatre on London's West End

After a 20 year wait, Jennifer Saunders has returned to the West End, this time as the imposing Duchess of Berwick in Kathy Burke’s production of Oscar Wilde’s LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN at the Vaudeville Theatre.

One of the most influential women in British television comedy, Jennifer kept to prominence as Vyvyan in THE YOUNG ONES and, with her comedy partner Dawn French, launched the sketch show FRENCH AND SAUNDERS in 1987, which became staple BBC viewing through to 2007. Let’s not forget the champagne-quaffing PR Edina Monsoon opposite Joanna Lumley in ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, among a raft of other memorable characters and appearances, collecting a truck-load of accolades along the way.

Her current stage performance has garnered equal plaudits, The Guardian’s Lyn Gardner calling her portrayal, “a monstrous star turn,” as “A Duchess with a walking stick like a taser and a hat like a homunculus.”

The two things Jennifer and I have in common is our age and being at the same stage door at the same time after Saturday’s matinee, where I asked her to sign this sketch. “Well done you,” she said, which is always a good sign.

Drawing: The Play That Goes Wrong

Posted on February 13, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Dave Hearn, Henry Lewis, Charlie Russell, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields in The Play that Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre in London and the Lyceum Theatre in New York

One of the big success stories of British Theatre is the creation of the Mischief Theatre Company and their first hit production THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. Written by LAMDA graduates Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, it follows the exploits of members of the fictitious Conley Polytechnic Drama Society and their disastrous attempt to put on a 1920’s murder mystery. The writers were joined in the original cast by Charlie Russell, David Hearn, Greg Tannahill, Nancy Wallinger and Rob Falconer, who used to work at my local pub and said he was working on an interesting theatre project.

From modest beginnings above one of London’s oldest taverns at the sixty-seater Old Red Lion Theatre in 2012, it moved to the Trafalgar Studios a year later then to the Duchess in September in 2014, where it is currently in residence and booking to later this year. It won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. Last year it transferred to the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway, where it won the Tony Award for Best Scenic Design. It has now gone global, with productions in over 20 countries, including a UK tour.

Last month the two Henrys, Jonathan, Charlie and David returned to the West End, as part of the ensemble for the improv MISCHIEF MOVIE NIGHTS at London’s Arts Theatre, where I met them to sign this drawing for me.

Drawing: Margaret Cho

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of comedian Margaret Cho

Margaret Cho is one of America’s most politically outspoken and savage standup comedians. In his Guardian preview before she embarked on her just completed UK Tour ‘FRESH OFF THE BLOAT’, Rob Walker wrote, “If you have never heard of Margaret Cho, think of the caustic, crude comedy of Joan Rivers, the politically-charged jibes of Bill Hicks and the quick-witted improvisation of Robin Williams – all rolled onto one but with a feisty Korean twist.”

The five-time Grammy and Emmy nominated actor, author and singer-songwriter is a household name in the US. Earlier this year Rolling Stone magazine named her as one of the 50 Best Standup Comics of all time. Openly bisexual, Margaret’s famous for her brazen take on sex and politics. She is also a regular on the small screen, playing the rebellious daughter in a traditional Korean-American household, ALL AMERICAN GIRL and as Teri Lee in DROP DEAD DIVA. She has also appeared in a number of films, including John Travolta’s FBI colleague in FACE/OFF.

Margaret’s last gig on the tour was at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Sunday 10 December. The previous day I popped by to drop off a drawing, but it was completely shut, so I fired the enveloped sketch under the stage door and hoped for the best. It arrived back, signed, in the mail on Saturday.

Drawing: Ross Noble in Young Frankenstein

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Forty-year-old Northumberland-born funnyman Ross Noble has been performing since he was smuggled into his local comedy club at the age of 15. Since then he has become a regular on TV’s mainstream comedy shows. This month he made his West End musical debut as the hunchbacked servant Igor in Mel Brook’s YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN at the Garrick Theatre, which has its opening tomorrow night. The Geordie stand-up is playing the role made famous by comic legend Marty Feldman in the original 1974 film version. “I have an advantage, I come with my own hump”, he said in a recent interview.

He made his musical debut in another Mel Brook’s show, THE PRODUCERS on its 2015 UK tour, playing pigeon fancier Frank Liebkind. His initial conversations for YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN was over the phone when Mel who acted out every character. “I got my own private Mel Brooks performance”, Ross said. He signed this sketch for me at the stage door over after last Saturday’s matinee.

Drawing: Miranda Hart in Annie

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Multi-award winning actress, writer and comedian Miranda Hart made her West End and musical debut in Nikolai Foster’s stylish revival of the family musical ANNIE at the Piccadilly Theatre in June this year.

Playing the hilariously spiteful, gin-soaked NYC orphanage manageress Miss Agatha Hannigan, Miranda continues in the role until the end of this week.

She has garnered great reviews with the Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish writing, “Half gorgon, half goofball, all-round pleasure, she daftly-deftly combines menace with physical comedy lurching into view through scary-tall dormitory doors, sending her grubby young charges screaming as if from a fire-breathing dragon.”

Miranda kindly signed and returned my Miss H sketch for me after I left it at the theatre.

Drawing: Alexei Sayle

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

“Americans have different ways of saying things. They say ‘elevator’, we say ‘lift’ – they say ‘President’, we say ‘stupid, psychopathic git'”. One of comic legend’s Alexei Sayle’s infamous and now most apt one liners.

Voted 18th on Channel 4’s 100 Greatest Stand-up Comics in 2009, Alexei was a central figure in the alternative comedy movement of the 1980’s. His satirical style was based on cynicism and political awareness. The Emmy-winning British actor appeared in numerous TV shows but he was best known for his involvement in the iconic THE YOUNG ONES alongside Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer and Christopher Ryan. He played a many characters, but his main role was the apparently Russian landlord Jerzy Balowski.

Alexei was doing a few nights of ‘work in progress’ gigs at the Soho Theatre last week so I took the opportunity to meet him and get my drawing signed.

Drawing: Sam Wills as Tape Face

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

New Zealander Sam Wills and his alter – ego Tape Face found International notoriety last year, reaching the finals of America’s Got Talent, where he was the ‘most buzzed- about’ contestant. Described as a ‘modern day Chaplin’ Sam’s contemporary comedic mime revives silent film acting with a piece of tape over his mouth and the traditional stripped shirt, using facial expressions and body movements to captivate his audiences.

He began performing as an apprentice clown at the age of 13. Sam rarely gives interviews to continue the illusion of not speaking, although he was happy to chat in our antipodean accents with a fellow London-based Kiwi and sign my sketch before his matinee show at the Garrick Theatre where he is resident until 23 July.

Drawing: Wendy Wason

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

“She’s absolutely hysterical,” said Jimmy Carr about fellow comedian, Wendy Wason. The Sunday Times added “charming, clever and funny.’ The Edinburgh-raised actress and writer’s initial career was in film and TV, appearing in TAGGERT, SHERLOCK, MIDSOMMER MURDERS, THE IT CROWD and in feature films such as THE LIBERTINE with the three Johnnies, Depp, Malcovich and Vegas. She branched out into stand-up comedy in 2004 at Edinburgh’s Guided ballroom, followed by successful shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW I DIDN’T KNOW (2008), OTHER PEOPLES SECRETS (2010), FLASHBACKS (2011), HOTEL CALIFORNIA (2014) and last year, TINY ME, which she performed at the Soho Theatre in London for three nights last week. On one of those nights she signed this sketch for me.

Drawing: Milton Jones

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Milton Jones? “Oh that’s the bloke with the shirts and sticky-up hair,” most people would probably say, according to the man himself, a regular panallist on BBC Two’s MOCK THE WEEK and one of the UK’s stand-out stand-up comedians. Known for his one-liners involving puns delivered in a deadpan and slightly neurotic style, his loud shirts and wild hair… and his sublimely surreal takes on the world. “I was walking along the other day and on the road I saw a small dead baby ghost. Although, thinking about it, it might have been a handkerchief.”

MOCK THE WEEK can be a hard show to do. It’s always seven people trying to fit through a door for two he said in a recent interview. But his advantage is his style. “Yes I win. I do short bits. I get in, chuck a grenade and get out quickly.” It’s a style The Guardian acknowledged, “No one can touch Jones when he’s in his stride.”

He did a couple of nights at the Soho Theatre in London last week trying out new material for his next tour and signed my sketch with a two-liner.