Drawing: Lead Pencil in Full HB

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Lead Pencil

Now this is a group I had to draw. The comedy sketch trio of Louise Beresford, Maddie Rice and Dave Bibby, collectively known as LEAD PENCIL and specialising in nonsense. As their blurb says, “a comedy sketch show that is literally sketched.”

Realising that life is absurd the group formed in 2012 to deconstruct it with a show that is based on 90’s nostalgia, full of observational sketches, songs and their trademark 2D stylised, colourful cardboard props. Sell-out shows (some may say they were drawing in the crowds, but that would be silly) at the Underbelly in Edinburgh followed and appearances on Comedy Central and BBC Radio 4.

I just had to give them my 4B treatment with a splash of colour. The rendering was dropped into the Leicester Square Theatre at the end of June where they were performing for one night only. It was returned via an unusual route. Nothing came back for a couple of weeks, so I thought they maybe they didn’t get it, didn’t like or simply run out of writing instruments.

Then I received a letter from Transport for London’s Lost Property office saying they may have an item of mine. As it transpired it was this drawing, signed by Louise, Maddie and Dave with a complimentary note and the stamped envelope I had left with the drawing. It appears that one of them was intending to post it and left it on a bus. Thanks LEAD PENCIL and TfL Lost Property.

Drawing: Elf Lyons

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Elf Lyons

“Enthusiastically peculiar” and “Endearingly essentric” are two labels attached to stand-up comic and writer Emily-Anne ‘Elf’ Lyons. The Latitude Festival blurb, where she performed this year was a tad more specific, calling her an “award-winning, immortal, red-hatted comedian and storyteller from London.” She’s a mixture of the surreal, saucy and the strange covering everything from budget erotica to very physical impressions of a Dressage horse.

With two theatre degrees, Elf is a founder member of ‘The Secret Comedians’, a small comedy collective who perform satirical evenings in East London. She is also a recent alumni of the Paris-based clown school, L’Ecole Philippe Gaulier and wants to kill her mother….in a comedic way of course. Her current show PELICAN is being performed nightly at the VooDoo Rooms as part of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe (or if your savvy and lazy, the ‘Edfringe’). It’s based on her mother’s complaint that she didn’t feature prominently enough in her daughter’s comedy routines, so she was made the subject of a show, relishing the madness of mothers and the age-old fear of turning into your mum. “Lyons is endearingly awkward, sexually frank and delightfully silly” wrote Rowena McIntosh in The List review.

She signed my sketch at the Leicester Square theatre as part of her Edfringe foreplay.

Drawing: Jennifer Byrne and Victoria Falconer-Pritchard in EastEnd Cabaret

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

East End Cabaret Perverts

“A high-powered Flight of the Concords dipped in acid and drenched in smut,” is how the Crikey (AU) magazine described EASTEND CABARET performers and professional perverts, Jennifer Byrne and Victoria Falconer-Pritchard.

The globe-trotting, gin-loving, man east-riding, accordion-eluding, multi-award winning could musical comedy duo are known by their stage names, Bernadette Byrne, a European chanteuse of unknown origin and Victor Victoria, a faux-bilateral hermaphrodite, one man/woman band.

On a recent tour Downunder, Theatrereview NZ likened them to a “mutant child of a Victorian circus-locked away in the Pet Shop Boys basement and forced to watch nothing but Eurovision.”

Their utterly raucous, unashamedly risqué, dark,hilarious and dangerously inappropriate show had it’s origins in the iconic East End pub, The George Tavern in 2009, appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe two years later. TimeOut said “They can work an audience like nobody’s business.” Last year they won Best Variety Act at the London Cabaret Awards.
I left this sketch of Bernie and Victy from their 2015 Soho Theatre production PERVERTS at the London Hippodrome where they were performing last month and it came back, signed with their character names and a little note.

Cabaret Perverts Note

Drawing: Shit-faced Shakespeare

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

shit faced shakespeare

“Lord, what dicks these mortals be!”

Not exactly as originally written, but the meaning is the same.

SHIT-FACED SHAKESPEARE is the unholy offspring of Magnificent Bastard Productions and has become something of a cult at the annual Edinburgh and Brighton Fringe Festivals. It has spawned numerous versions and is currently being performed in such global locations as Texas, Massachusetts and London.

Bardolatry is big this year with a myriad of Shakespearian productions commemorating the 400th anniversary of the writer’s death. This, however is a irreverent take on the Shake – a bawdy, abbreviated adaption of one of his plays by five cast members, one of which is completely hammered, totally wasted or as the Bard himself would say, “Reeling ripe” …nay shit-faced.

The latest production, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM has taken up an extended residency at London’s Leicester Square Theatre. A company of nine perform in rotation to ‘give the livers time to recover’. The director and MC, Lewis Ironside opens the show enthusiastically explaining what is about to happen…as far as he knows. On press night the 70 minute version centred around the four lovers, Lysander (Sam Marron), Hermia (Beth-Louise Priestly), Demetrius (John Mitton) and Helena (Stacey Norris) joined by Puck (Rob Smythson) who grabs a Bottom from the audience. The designated drunk was Sam, who consumed two Stellas, half a bottle of vodka and a can of Archer’s woo woo before tackling the role of a legless Lysander and a few other things. Over the past six years, 20,000 units of alcohol have been consumed.

I left this Shakespearian scribble with Beth-Louise at the theatre who kindly signed and got the rest of the crew to do the same …although I’m not sure which one of them was on the turps. I’ll let you decide. Bottoms up!

Drawing: Derek Fowlds

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Derek Fowlds

British actor Derek Fowlds has graced our television screens for over half a century. During his National Service stint in Malta, he was a member the RAF theatre group and followed one of his sergeants to RADA, where he trained as a professional actor. After a number of West End plays including THE MIRACLE WORKER, Derek landed his first TV role, replacing Rodney Bewes as the presenter in THE BASIL BRUSH SHOW.

Upstaged by a stuffed fox, ‘Mr Derek’ intended to stay for one series, but remained for eight, charmed by the Basil character. This was followed by the first of his famed small screen alter egos, Bernard Woolley, the pedantic private secretary in the massively popular series YES MINISTER and YES PRIME MINISTER alongside Paul Eddington and Nigel Hawthorne. In 1992 he created his longest running role, the pig-headed and cranky former copper-turned local public Oscar Blaketon in the police nostalgia drama HEATBEAT. In an interview Derek said he always wanted to play Oscar as a transvestite, but the producers of the family show didn’t think that was appropriate. “He had a theatrical mother, hence the name Oscar. I always thought he would become Olivia in the weekends.”

Late last year the 79 year-old Derek published his autobiography ‘A Part Worth Playing’ and as part of it’s promotion he appeared at the Museum of Comedy last month in an evening entitled ‘Yes Prime Minister and Me’ in conversation with journalist Sam Westerby about his long career. Derek’s six-year old grandson Marlon said to him,
“When I’m a man, you’ll be dead, won’t you?” Derek laughed, “Well, it’s possible, but you’ll have a book to read about me.”

Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to the event, but I drew this sketch of Derek and called past the Museum of Comedy earlier on the day to leave it there for him to hopefully sign.
The Museum of Comedy is situated in the basement vault, known as the ‘undercroft’ of St George’s Church in London’s Bloomsbury. It was not open at the time I arrived, so I slipped my envelope under the door and hoped for the best and some divine intervention. It worked. Derek not only signed and dedicated my rendering, he also sent me an appreciative note.

Derek Fowlds Card

Drawing: Bec Hill

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Bec Hill

“I used to think an ocean of soda existed, but it was just a Fanta sea.” Just one of Bec Hill’s zillion one-liners in her show ELLIPSIS, which was a sell-out at the Edinburgh Fringe and at London’s Soho Theatre last year.

The pint-sized Australian born, London based dynamo founded the PUN-RUN with her writing partner Gavin J. Innes, the UK’s only pun-based comedy night. It’s an evening of good old fashioned wordplay that takes place bi-monthly at The Phoenix in London’s Cavendish Square.

“My brother and his friends spend all their time floating out to sea. Well, boys will be buoys.” Another one-liner.

The Scotsman called her “exuberant, daft and inventive.” She calls herself “Comedian. Presenter. Dork.” on her website.

Bec’s cult following in Oz, UK and Ireland is due to her award-winning solo shows, Twitter presence and YouTube videos, including delightful low tech animation. She also hosts Sky’s DC FANCAST and is seen on CBBC’s MY DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK. Bec won a golden toilet seat for the nation’s favourite toilet joke.” For Christmas last year I got given Sudoku toilet paper. It’s useless. You can only fill it with number ones and number twos.”

She returned to the Soho this month with her latest show CAUGHT ON TAPE and signed my sketch, incorporating a toon from her DINOSAUR vid. She decided to sign with a black sharpie, although obviously she had a few colours to choose from.

Drawing: Meera Syal in Romeo and Juliet

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Meera Syal

In another life when I trod the boards, I once played Peter in the Bard’s classic romantic tragedy ROMEO AND JULIET. Not a major character, but the one charged with adding comic relief to the sad tale – the story of my life.

Peter was the loyal servant of Juliet’s Nurse, a major character who acts as a go-between for Romeo and Juliet and is the only person besides Friar Laurence to know of the star-crossed lovers’ wedding. I say this as a feeble intro and my loose connection to the Nurse, a major role in Shakespeare’s archetypal love story.

Meera Syal plays the Nurse in the Kenneth Branngh Company’s latest revival at the Garrick Theatre in London. The comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist, producer and actress is probably best known for her portrayal as one of Britain’s most loveable Indian personalities, Sanjeev’s grandmother Ummi in THE KUMARS AT NUMBER 42.

Meera signed this sketch for me as she arrived for Saturday’s matinee.

Drawing: Rob Beckett in Mouth of the South

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Rob Beckett

I caught up with one of the rising stars of British Comedy, Rob Beckett on Saturday night when he arrived at the Leicester Square Theatre for his final performance of MOUTH OF THE SOUTH after a week long residency. He started stand-up in 2009, appearing in MOCK THE WEEK, LIVE AT THE APOLLO and CELEBRITY SQUARES, making his Edinburgh Festival three years later with his solo show ROB BECKETT’S SUMMER HOLIDAY.

The Guardian described Rob as “A likeable high tempo comic”. Not only is he a likeable comic, but a likeable guy, who happily signed my sketch. Catch Rob over the next few months as he tours the UK with MOUTH OF THE SOUTH.

Drawing: Jena Friedman in American C*nt

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Jena Friedman

American stand-up comedian, writer and filmmaker Jena Friedman returned to the UK last month with her critically acclaimed solo show AMERICAN C*UNT (her asterisk), which premiered last year at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Her work has been published in Time, Newsweek, The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, TimeOut New York and was part of the writing team for THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN. In 2010 the New York Times issued a ‘cease and desis’ letter to her for parodying their Wedding videos, which went on to be a very successful web series entitled TED AND GRACE.

AMERICAN C*NT is described as a ‘dark, edgy, spiky, fiercely and unapologetically political and liberal (more or less) look at the state of modern America, including Bill Cosby, Ebola, Donald Trump and Caitlyn Jenner – (The best way to age gracefully as a woman is to be born a man).”

Included on her website menu is a ‘How to stalk me’ option, but I preferred the old-fashioned approach and turn up at the theatre with a sketch.

Drawing: Lady Rizo at the Soho Theatre

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Lady Rizo

‘New York City’s prized cabaret superstar’, comedian and chanteuse (that’s a female singer of popular songs) Amelia Zirin-Brown, alias Lady Rizo returned to London’s Soho Theatre last month for a sell-out season of her new show MULTIPlIED, exploring how her newfound fecundity and parenthood fitted in with a glamorous show-pony, gypsy lifestyle.

Lady R modus operandi is ripping apart carefully chosen pop songs and her own stirring originals. In 2005 she co-created the cult caburlesque spectacular LADY RIZO AND THE ASSETTES and five years later won a Grammy Award, followed by the TimeOut and Soho Theatre Cabaret Award at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe.

I dropped this sketch off at the Soho and she returned signed and dedicated it for me.