Drawing: Jasmine Hyde

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Jasmine Hyde

I first met English actress Jasmine Hyde at friend and fellow kiwi, Ben Farry’s London flat in the early part of this millennium to discuss a film project I was developing at the time. Both Ben and Jasmine graduated from RADA in 2000, along with Daniel Mays who also joined us. Jasmine has had an varied stage and screen career along with acclaimed radio work includes the BBC dramatisation of John Mortimer’s RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY series and THE ARCHERS. In 2001 she won the prestigious Carlton Hobbs Award for Radio.

Jasmine’s extensive stage work includes working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2002 she appeared in the Trevor Nunn directed, nine hour trilogy THE COAST OF UTOPIA, three sequential and self-contained plays by Tom Stoppard on the Olivier stage at the National.

I caught up with Jasmine at the Arts Theatre in London a couple of weeks ago where she is currently featuring in the world premiere of the irreverent biblical comedy NOT MOSES. I drew this montage of her recent stage performances which she signed for me.

Drawing: Joseph Morpurgo, Andrew Hunter Murray and Graham Dickson in Austentatious

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Austentatious - Boys

In January the girls component of AUSTENTATIOUS signed a drawing for me and last month I left this sketch of the boys – Joseph Morpurgo, Andy Hunter Murray and Graham Dickson at the Leicester Square Theatre where this highly impressive troupe perform an improvised show based on a Jane Austen novel each month.

TimeOut among other mainstream publications gave it five stars calling it “one of the smartest and funniest improv shows out there… performing a completely improvised Jane Austen novel complete with period dress and cello accompaniment with marvellous results”.

This sketch came back in the mail yesterday wth a little note from Rachel, one of the girls, indicating that they looked after the fan mail, “We have to organise the boys with things like this.” So thanks to the girls the set is complete.

Drawing: Nina Conti in In Your Face

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Nina Conti

The wonderful award-winning comedian, actor and ventriloquist Nina Conti is currently in residence at London’s Criterion Theatre with her show IN YOUR FACE. Along with her regular ‘characters’ including the sinister monkey Monk, Nina has been using the face mask, which covers the lower half an audience members face and is manipulated by a hand piece by Nina, who also provides the voices of the participants with hilarious results. This is a 4B pencil tribute to her extraordinary talent, which she signed for me at the theatre a couple of weeks ago.

Drawing: Lazy Susan

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Lazy Susan

What better subject to sketch than a sketch show. Writers-performers Celeste Dring and Freya Parker form the double act LAZY SUSAN, whose EXTREME HUMANS was one of the ‘buzz’ shows at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. They were nominees for the Best Newcomer Award. According to the descriptions on their ‘About’ page, Celeste is the tallest member of the duo and Freya is the shortest. They perform character driven comedy. “Sometimes it gets dark, sometimes it’s just a cowboy and a dog singing a Rihanna song.”

The double act returned to the Soho Theatre in London earlier this month with their second sell-out show, cunningly called DOUBLE ACT and signed my sketch.

Drawing: Ursula Martinez in Free Admission

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Ursula Martinez

For Ursula Martinez ,”genre doesn’t really hold. Her shows are fairly uncategorisable,” said Matt Trueman in The Guardian. “She is in that sweet spot where comedy, cabaret and theatre intersect.”

The London-based Anglo-Spanish and Olivier Award winning ‘performance provocateur’ and cult cabaret diva has just completed a two-week run at the Soho Theatre of FREE ADMISSION. It grew out of feedback from her previously acclaimed MY STORIES, YOUR EMAILS, incorporating her unique style of self-depreciation, baring her soul and more.

I managed to catch a fully clothed Ursula at the Soho after her final performance on Saturday where she signed this sketch for me.

Drawing: Michael McIntyre

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Michael McIntyre

Michael McIntyre has become the highest-earning comedian in the world today since his rapid rise from obscurity to prominence after appearing on his first Royal Variety Performance in 2006. Micheal’s 2012 UK Tour covered 71 arena venues performing to over 700,000 people including a record-breaking 10 nights at London’s 02 which elevated him to the world’s biggest selling standup comedian, grossing an estimated £21 million.

Before all the fame and fortune he remembers the tough years spent on the circuit and returns to his roots, with ‘work in progress’ shows to try out new material. He often appears at smaller venues like the Soho Theatre, a place I myself frequent as frequent readers of my blog will testify. Michael’s back there this month for a few practice gigs. However he slips in and out unnoticed and nobody seems to have any info on his movements.

The staff are always helpful, but the bigger names tend to prefer a bit more obscurity at the intimate venue for obvious reasons. I did hang around a couple of times to see if I could catch Michael in person, but that proved fruitless, so left this sketch with the Soho team. For some reason I thought, given Michael’s status, his entourage may forget to pass it on or it would get lost amongst the mountain of fan mail. I expected a long wait for it’s return, if in fact it was ever returned at all or the usual 5×7 pre-printed photo with the standard letter.

But to my surprise and delight, it came back signed, complete with additional comic calligraphy within two days!

Drawing: Billy Connolly in the High Horse Tour, Hammersmith Apollo, London

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Billy Connolly

In 2012 Billy Connolly was diagnosed with prostate cancer, deafness and Parkinson’s disease in the same week. Successful surgery cured the cancer and he now wears a small hearing aid, but the slow moving Parkinson’s will always be with him. ‘It’s like having a wee mugger following you around,” he said in a recent interview. But the Scotsman, considered by many polls to be the greatest standup ever, refuses to let his battle with the debilitating disease stop him as he embarked on his latest HIGH HORSE Tour, which saw him just finish an 11-night run at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. Protracted applause greeted him every night and he responded with, “You’re only doing that coz I’m sick…I can tell the f ***in’ sympathy vote.” The Guardian’s review headline read. ‘Older, frailer but the Big Yin is still the Maestro.”

“When I was a boy I was a Catholic. I paid the fine and got out.” He once said, but he thanked theChurch in his acceptance speech at the National Television Awards last month when he received a special award for his 50 years in the business. “I’d like to thank the Catholic Church for the rhythm method of birth control without which I wouldn’t be here.”
Hopefully it’s not the last time we see him live on stage in London. His health condition may have stopped him playing his beloved banjo, but hasn’t diminished his generosity with fans and ability to sign, which he kindly did so on my sketch after I left it for him at the venue.

Drawing: Julian Clary as The Slave of the Ring in Aladdin

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Julian Clary

British comedian and writer Julian Clary spent the festive period playing the ‘Slave of the Ring’ in ALADDIN at the Birmingham Hippodrome, before he embarks on his latest UK tour THE JOY OF MINCING.

Julian’s career began as ‘Leo Hull’, a fake keyboardist for a band called “Thinkman’, before taking to the alternative comedy scene as Gillian Pieface and ‘The Joan Collins Fan Club’ with his pet ‘Fanny the Wonder Dog.’ Joan Collins issued a cease and desist order to prevent Julian using her name, but they starred together in the 2010/11 panto DICK WHITTINGHTON at the Birmingham Hippodrome and have since become good friends.

Julian said he feels very comfortable in the world of pantomime, “I like dressing up and wearing lots of make-up”. He also said he likes forgetting his lines, “It’s good when things go wrong, then I can improvise my way out of the situation.”

I sent this sketch to Julian during the run, which he signed and returned.

Drawing: Four Austentatious Women

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Austentatious

“One of the most enjoyable 60 minutes on the fringe” is how The Guardian summarises AUSTENTATIOUS – AN IMPROVISED JANE AUSTEN NOVEL, an improvised comedy play, based on nothing more than a title from the audience. It’s ‘eloquent, irreverent and a 100% improvised take on the works of Britain’s best-loved novelists.’ Some titles from previous shows include ‘Mansfield Shark’, ‘Jurassic Mansfield Park’, Sixth Sense and Sensibility’, Darcy & Hutch’ and ‘I know What You Did Last Season.’

For one night only, January 9 to be precise, the seven dashing dames and buxom boys of AUSTENTATIOUS swapped bonnets and breeches and took to the boards of the Leicester Square Theatre in London to perform CROSSTENTATIOUS to raise money for the Pancreatic Cancer Fund.

The four damsels, Amy Cooke-Hodgson, Cariad Lloyd, Charlotte Gittens and Rachel Parris signed this sketch of them in their regular Regency attire. I had no room on the A4 sheet to fit Graham Dickson, Joseph Morpurgo and Andrew Hunter Murray who complete the troupe, but they will all be back in their London ‘home’ at the end of the month and the next month and the following month… in fact they are many happy returners, so I can collect the gentleman’s graphs and catch another show.

Drawing: Anne Edmonds in You Know What I’m Like at the Soho Theatre

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Anne Edmonds

Described as ‘one of Australia’s most exciting new stand-up character and banjo playing comedians, Anne Edmonds is currently making her UK debut with a fortnight at the Soho Theatre in London with a gig entitled YOU KNOW WHAT I’M LIKE.

It won Anne the Piece of Wood Award last year. The Piece of Wood Award you ask? Yes, it’s literally a piece of wood presented to the winner of the Best Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where she resides. Apparently it’s traditional to bite it. ‘Eddo’ – as she calls herself on Twitter – says she’s a ‘sadness sniffer dog’ that can spot melancholy behind smiles. Her stand-up routine is described by critics as “uncomfortably funny” combined with dark, but funny songs and skilful banjo playing.

Her banjo is called Steve… well it was in 2012, if she’s still with Steve. I didn’t ask when I meet her last Friday night after her show to sign this sketch. But you have until 16 January to pop along to the intimate upstairs loft at the Soho and ask her yourself.