Drawing: Adrienne Warren in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Adrienne Warren in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at the Aldwych Theatre on London's West End

“Whirlwind Turner tribute leaves you breathless. Phyllida Lloyd’s musical is a heady celebration of triumphs over adversity, with an astonishing turn by Adrienne Warren,” wrote Michael Billington in his four-star review of TINA:THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL, which opened at London’s Aldwych Theatre with its World Premiere last month.

Matt Wolf in the New York Times said, ” She sings with the feral, unchanged yearning that does the show’s namesake proud.”

The 31 year-old American actress, singer and dancer was hand picked by Tina herself to make her West End debut, although she is well-known Stateside. Adrienne first performed on Broadway in BRING IT ON at the St James Theatre in 2012 before earning a Tony nomination for… wait for it, SHUFFLE ALONG OR THE MAKING OF THE MUSICAL SENSATION OF 1921 AND ALL THAT FOLLOWS at the Music Box Theatre.

Her screen appearances include the hit TV show ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. Rarely off stage in TINA, her performance as the Motown legend in the new ‘jukebox juggernaut’ had the critics searching for superlatives, but Ann Treneman of the Times said “simply the best.” Adrienne signed my sketch at the Aldwych Theatre last week.

Drawing: Oliver Ryan in Glengarry Glen Ross

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Oliver Ryan in Glengarry Glen Ross at the Playhouse Theatre on London's West End

Earlier this year I was fortunate to see the London revival of David Mamet’s GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS at the Playhouse Theatre with an outstanding cast lead by Christian Slater. All of them signed sketches I did and have previously posted, except this one of Oliver Ryan… until now. Synonymous with the Royal Shakespeare Company since 2009, the Welsh actor has played many of the Bard’s memorable characters, including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Benvolio, Malcolm and Oswald on the UK and New York stages.

In David Mamet’s most famous and Pulitzer Prize winning play about testosterone-raddled real estate agents and the ‘excavation of the desperation that lies under the alpha male ego’, Oliver is Baylen, the police detective who spends most of the Second Act offstage in a back office interrogating the salesmen about their knowledge of a break-in. While he makes brief appearances on stage, his ‘presence’ increases the tension during the act as he seeks to find the culprit and make an arrest.

Oliver signed my sketch along with the rest of the cast at the stage door in January.

Drawing: Edward Fox in The Day of the Jackal

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Edward Fox in the film "The Day of the Jackal"

Distinguished British actor Edward Fox has returned to the London stage this month alongside his son Freddie in Oscar Wilde’s AN IDEAL HUSBAND at the Vaudeville Theatre, in what the Independent’s Paul Taylor called a “delicious double act.”

The 81 year-old’s screen career includes many of the classic films, GHANDI (1982), NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN (1983), THE DRESSER (1983), THE GO-BETWEEN (1971) and A BRIDGE TOO FAR (1977), the latter two earning him Supporting Actor BAFTA Awards. However it is his role as the professional assassin known as ‘Jackal’, hired to kill French President Charles de Gaulle in the Summer of 1963 in Fred Zinnemann’s THE DAY OF THE JACKAL (1973) that is one of my favourites.

I drew this sketch, which Edward signed for me on Saturday at the Vaudeville stage door prior to the matinee. Light spring rain was falling and a large group of fans were also waiting for his graph, so he politely asked if it was ok to just sign his name and not dedicate, which was perfectly fine with me.

Drawing: Ruthie Henshall in Billy Elliot The Musical

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Ruthie Henshall in Billy Elliot The Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre on London's West End

Ruthie Henshall’s illustrious theatre career spans four decades, beginning with her West End debut in CATS in 1988, making appearances as Jemima, Demeter, Griddlebone and Grizabella after completing the UK tour of A CHORUS LINE. She is currently back on the London boards in the revival of CHICAGO at the Phoenix Theatre.

It’s a show she knows well. Having played Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly on a few occasions on the West End and Broadway, she is now the prison warden, Mama Morton, which makes her the only British actress to have played all CHICAGO’s leading female roles. She originated the role of Roxie in the 1997 London production, a performance that earned her one of five Olivier Award nominations. She won two years earlier for her portrayal of Amelia Balash in the revival of SHE LOVES ME.

Prior to this year’s CHICAGO, Ruthie joined the cast of BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL as the straight talking dance teacher Mrs Wilkinson for the last 18 months of it’s eleven year run at the Victoria Palace Theatre. I drew this drawing of her, which she signed for me at the Phoenix stage door on Saturday and remarked on the impressive sweater she got to wear, which, by the way took me longer to render than the rest of the sketch and she said it was and she should have kept it.

Drawing: Sian Thomas in Passion Play

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Sian Thomas in Passion Play at the Duke of York's Theatre on London's West End

Welsh actress Sian Thomas, known for her big screen role as Amelia Bones, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic in 2007’s HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX also has an impressive set of stage credentials. She is currently playing Aunt Pat in Jez Butterworth’s epic new play THE FERRYMAN at London’s Gielgud Theatre, which ends this month.

The last time I saw Sian on the West End was in Peter Nichol’s PASSION PLAY at the Duke of York’s in 2013. She was the ‘friend’ who decides to enlighten Zoe Wannamaker’s character about her husband’s betrayal, a performance Charles Spencer in his Telegraph review describes as “memorably bitter.”

I had been carrying this sketch of Sian around in my ‘working’ file (probably ‘walking’ file is more apt given the miles I cover stalking stage doors) since I missed her at the Duke’s five years ago so took the opportunity to catch up before with her at the Gielgud on Saturday when she arrived for the matinee and signed it.

Drawing: Zizi Strallen in Mary Poppins

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Zizi Strallen in Mary Poppins on UK Tour

One of the most popular and busy British theatre performers is 28 year-old Zizi Strallen. Fresh from a sell-out run of the acclaimed production FOLLIES at the National earlier this year, she is currently one of the leads in the stage adaption of Baz Luhrmann’s classic film STRICTLY BALLROOM – THE MUSICAL.

Prior to that she played the title role in Cameron Macintosh’s UK tour of MARY POPPINS throughout 2015. It’s a role her sister Scarlett also performed in the West End, Broadway and Sydney. Zizi kindly signed my Poppins pic at the Piccadilly stage door last weekend prior to the STRICTLY matinee.

Drawing: Michelle Fairley in Julius Caesar

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Michelle Fairley in Julius Caesar at the Bridge Theatre in London

Northern Irish actress Michelle Fairley is well known to TV viewers as Catelyn Stark in GAME OF THRONES and the recurring role of Dr Ava Hessington in the US Network series SUITS. She has also appeared in such British classics as THE BILL, HOLBY CITY, CASULTY and LOVEJOY. On the bigger screen, Michelle played Mrs Granger in the HARRY POTTER AND THE DEADLY HALLOWS films.

Her extensive stage work includes an Olivier Award nomination for her portrayal as Emilia in the Donmar Warehouse 2007 production of Shakespeare’s OTHELLO. Earlier this year she played the rash, impassioned soldier and conspirator Cassius in another one of the Bard’s tragedies JULIUS CAESAR at the new Bridge Theatre situated by a Tower Bridge on London’s South Bank.

It was described by the Metro’s theatre critic, appropriately named Adam Bloodworth as a “turbo-charged performance.”

I left this sketch of Michelle at the stage door and it came back, signed and dedicated.

Drawing: Josefina Gabrielle in Chicago

Posted on April 26, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Josefina Gabrielle on West End

Josefina Gabrielle is very familiar with CHICAGO, the musical not the city, although I could be misrepresenting her knowledge of American metropolises. The British musical theatre star has returned to the show, this time as Velma Kelly, after playing Roxie Hart in the two previous London productions at the Cambridge and Adelphi Theatres. With three Olivier Award nominations for OKLAHOMA, SWEET CHARITY and MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, Josephina’s musical pedigree is assured.

I drew this montage of her in CHICAGO, as the Evil Witch Evilena in the Hackney Empire’s 2013 panto PUSS AND BOOTS, her dual roles as NIckie and Ursula in the stage adaption of John Masefield’s 1935 children’s book, THE BOX OF DELIGHTS at Wilton’s Music Hall in the East End and her Oliver-nominated performance as Gussie Carnegie in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s 2014 production of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG.

She signed it for me at the Phoenix Theatre stage door when she arrived for the CHICAGO matinee.

Drawing: Helen McCrory in Medea

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Helen McCrory in Medea at the National Theatre in London

Throughout the summer of 2014, the superb BAFTA-winning and double Olivier nominated actress Helen McCrory played the title role in the National Theatre’s production of Euripides’s MEDEA on the Olivier stage.

It’s one of the most terrifying characters in Ancient Greek tragedy – a sorceress who kills her own children – and it requires, if you will forgive me, a killer performance’, one which Telegraph critic Charles Spencer called Helen’s “performance of her career.”

Helen of course is no stranger to playing screen villains, her most notable being Narcissa Malloy in the final three HARRY POTTER films. For her role as MEDEA she won the Critics Circle Theatre award for Best Actress.

I left this drawing at the National for Helen to sign which she did and returned it to me with a note saying ‘what beautiful sketches.’

Jason Watkins in Frozen

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Jason Watkins in Frozen at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on London's West End

“Audiences may come to this production drawn by the star power of Suranne Jones, but will leave talking about Jason Watkins,” wrote David Butcher in his Radio Times review of FROZEN, which has been running at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket since February.

“His performance as Ralph, a serial killer and paedophile, who abducts children is strikingly sinister, a creepy tour de force”.

Suranne plays Nancy, a mother of a murdered daughter, killed by Jason’s character. Both actors were kept apart for most of the rehearsals to make the moment when they ‘collide’ on stage as ‘powerful’ as possible said director Jonathan Munby.

When you meet the BAFTA-winning Jason he is the complete opposite, one of the nicest people stalking the London boards, obviously not a method actor. He was more than happy to sign my drawing at the stage door a few weeks ago.