Drawing: Rebel Wilson in Guys And Dolls

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Rebel Wilson

‘There’s a new Doll in town’ proclaims all the billboards around London, announcing Australian Hollywood star Rebel Wilson’s West End debut in the 1950’S Broadway musical GUYS AND DOLLS at the Phoenix Theatre. The 36 year old bubbly blonde, ‘Sydney-born sensation’ (as the Telegraph’s critic Dominic Cavendish called her) plays the show’s interminably engaged New York night-club singer Miss Adelaide for an eight-week engagement.

She received a standing ovation on her opening night, tweeting to her 3.3 million followers afterwards, thanking the audience and saying how honoured she was and saying “sooo… one down, 63 performances to go.”

On Saturday night I positioned myself at the stage door barriers among the hoards where she signed my sketch.

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: Stephanie Cole in This May Hurt A Bit

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

steph cole

Stella Feehily’s NHS-in-crisis drama THIS MAY HURT A BIT ran at the St James Theatre in London, appropriately in May 2014 after a National tour. Directed by her husband Max Stafford-Clark, the play is based on his own experience after suffering a stroke. Beloved British actress Stephanie Cole played Iris, a feisty 90 year-old suffering from bouts of memory loss. In hospital she shares a ward with a recently expired corpse and John, a vicar, who has lost his ability to speak.

“Stephanie Cole breaks your hearts with Iris’s mixture of gallantry and pathos,” wrote Jane Shilling in her Telegraph review.

Stephanie’s long and distinguished stage and screen career has seen her appear in a number of high-profile productions. Her TV roles include Aunty Joan in DOC MARTIN, Delphine Featherstone in OPEN ALL HOURS and STILL OPEN ALL HOURS and Sylvia Goodwin in CORONATION STREET. Her stage appearances include Miss Casewell in THE MOUSETRAP at the Ambassador’s Theatre in 1968 and her most prominent role as Betty in the 1994 hit comedy A PASSIONATE WOMAN at the Comedy Theatre, which enjoyed an extended nine-month run. After the final night’s curtain call she was the subject of THIS IS YOUR LIFE.

I left this sketch of Stephanie with her London agents and it came back signed with a note attached, ‘what a good portrait!’… so I guess she liked it.

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: Zoe Rainey in Romeo and Juliet

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

zoe rainey

Northern Irish actress Zoe Rainey is appearing in her second Shakespearian production of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’s season of Plays at the Garrick, playing Romeo’s mum, Lady Montague in ROMEO AND JULIET. Earlier this year she played Emilia in the tragicomedy THE WINTER’S TALE. Prior to that Zoe had worked with Kenneth in the live action remake of Disney’s CINDERELLA and will be seen next year in another live action adaption of an animated classic, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, also playing a maternal role, this time Belle’s mother. Her extensive stage career includes WICKED at the Apollo, GUYS AND DOLLS and PARADE at the Donmar Warehouse and the World Premiere of FINDING NEVERLAND at the Leicester Curve.

Zoe signed this sketch leaving the Garrick after an evening performance of R&J last week.

Drawing: Trevor Dion Nicholas, Dean John-Wilson and Jade Ewen in Aladdin

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

aladdin

The stage adaption of Disney’s 1992 animated film ALADDIN transferred from Broadway to London’s West End at Soho’s Prince Edward Theatre last month. Joining British stars Dean John-Wilson as Aladdin and Jade Ewen as Jasmine was Trevor Dion Nicholas from the New York production as the Genie.

The musical premiered in Seattle in 2011 before opening on Broadway in March 2014 at the New Amsterdam Theatre where it still continues. It was nominated for five Tony Awards.

I left this drawing of the three leads at the theatre with one wish and it was granted… I mean graphed.

Drawing: Michael Crawford in The Phantom of the Opera

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Michael Crawford Phantom

The legendary screen and stage actor Michael Crawford has returned to the West End in the musical adaption of LP Hartley’s novel THE GO-BETWEEN. He plays the elderly Leo Colson who looks back to the summer of 1900 when, as a boy he acted as a go-between in a secret love affair.

Michael has kindly signed drawings for me in the past and has also accompanied the renderings with complimentary letters. I realised I hadn’t drawn him as the Phantom, the role he originated and that catapulted him into the stratosphere when Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA premiered in London in 1986. Michael was not the original choice to play the sinister figure who haunts a Parisian theatre. When Lord Webber and his wife Sarah Brightman (the original Christine) arrived early at her vocal coach’s studio. While they were waiting, they heard Michael singing a piece from Handel’s ATALANTA in another room. He subsequently auditioned for PHANTOM and was hired on the spot.

Michael’s rich baritone voice hypnotised audiences in 1,300 performances over three years in London, Broadway and Los Angeles, winning both the Olivier and Tony Awards. It set the benchmark for all who have played the masked recluse since.

I left this drawing at the Apollo last week, which he signed it for me. THE GO-BETWEEN runs until October.

Drawing: Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon and The Father

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Frank Langella

Frank Langella has won four Tony Awards. His latest was for his role as Andre in Florian Zeller’s THE FATHER this year. He played Richard Nixon, the only US President to resign the office in Peter Morgan’s FROST/NIXON at London’s Donmar Warehouse and the Gielgud before transferring to Broadway’s Bernard B Jacobs Theatre in April 2007, winning his third Tony. He reprised the role in the film version the following year, earning Oscar, Globe,SAG and BAFTA Award nominations.

I sent Frank this sketch of him in both roles while he was in THE FATHER at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre last month and he signed it with his unique abbreviated initials graph.

Drawing: Michael Brandon and Cherie Lunghi in Off The Kings Road

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Michael Brandon Cherie Lunghi

Top Hollywood publicist, manager and producer Neil Koenigsberg’s debut play, the bittersweet comedy drama OFF THE KINGS ROAD transferred to London’s Jermyn Street Theatre this month after successful runs in New York and Los Angeles. Michael Brandon plays Matt Browne, a recent widower, who takes a week’s respite in his favourite city, London, in a small hotel off the King’s Road. His stay turns into a voyage of self-discovery with a number of unplanned encounters, including a Russian prostitute and her jealous boyfriend. WestEnd Wilma described it as ‘an intelligent little gem.’

A unique part of the production is the e-appearance of Oscar winner Jeff Bridges as Matt’s LA-based psychologist Dr Kozlowski via Skype in three short segments.

Cheri Lunghi makes a delightful cameo as the nosey hotel resident and cat lover Ellen.
I left this sketch of Michael and Cheri at the theatre on the final day and it came back today signed and dedicated.