Sketch: Anna Maxwell Martin in King Lear at The National Theatre

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Sam Mendes astonishing and absorbing production of King Lear at London’s National Theatre last summer included Anna Maxwell Martin playing the mad King’s eldest daughter with Simon Russell Beale in title role.

Lloyd Evans in The Spectator summed up the critics’ reviews, “There are outstanding performances from Anna Maxwell Martin, whose Regan is a hysterical sex freak turned on by torture.”

Anna has won two BAFTA awards, the first for her portrayal of Esther Summerson, the central character in the 2005 BBC adaption of Charles Dicken’s Bleak House. Her second was for playing ‘N’, a long-term mentally ill patient in Poppy Shakespeare three years later.

She was also nominated in 2011 for her role as Sarah Burton in South Riding.

Sketch: Adele Anderson, Dillie Keane and Liza Pulman in Fascinating Aida: Charm Offensive

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The infamous and thrice Olivier nominated British comedy singing and satirical cabaret act Fascinating Aida, namely Dillie Keane, Adele Anderson and Liza Pulman has been in the business for over 30 years. Founded by Dillie along with Marilyn Cutts and Lizzie Richardson, Fascinating Aida started in a West End wine bar in 1983. Over the years the troupe has varied frequently, but the central two have been Adele Anderson who joined in 1984 and Dillie. Liza joined in 2004.

The late, acclaimed film director Ken Russell reviewed on of their shows in The Times and said that watching them made him feel he had “died and gone to heaven” and that the trio were “impossibly good”.

Dillie, Liza and Adele signed my sketch at the Southbank Centre in London last week where they were performing Charm Offensive as part of their national tour.

Sketch: Sofie Gråbøl in the James Plays, The National Theatre

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

BAFTA award winning Danish actress Sofie Gråbøl joined the ensemble cast of 20 to star as Queen Margaret of Denmark, the wife of James III in her first stage role in English.

James I, II and III are three new plays about the 15th century Scottish Kings by acclaimed playwright Rona Munro. They debuted at last years Edinburgh International Festival before transferring to London’s National Theatre. Critics were full of praise for Sofie’s performance.

Henry Hutchings said in The Telegraph, “she lit up the final part of the trilogy… with a commanding and witty portrayal of the King’s wife.”

Sofie signed my sketch at the BFI in London where she took part in a Q&A after the screening of the first episode of British TV series Fortitude.

Sketch: Antony Sher in Henry IV parts 1 and 2 at the Barbican Centre

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The Guardian’s esteemed critic Michael Billington writes that the Royal Shakespeare Company’s current production of the Bard’s two Henry plays at London’s Barbican Centre contains a ‘major, magnificent and magnetic performance from Antony Sher as Falstaff, the comic sack-soaked carouser, coward and companion to Price Hal. It is something we have come to expect from an actor who never gives any role less than his all.

Winner of two Laurence Olivier Awards in 1997 for his portrayal of British painter Stanley Spencer in Stanley and in 1985 for his towering break-through performance as the title character in Richard III. In the latter, Sir Antony propelled himself around the stage on two giant crutches (as a result of his own injury,adding authenticity to his portrayal) which Billington rates along with Olivier’s 1955 film version as the best he has seen. It was a performance that ‘still haunts me’, he said.

Gregory Doran’s Henry, Parts I & II -‘A sublime blend of fathomless gloom and mad merriment’ continues at the Barbican until 24 January.

Drawing: Absent Friends at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

A superb revival of Alan Ayckbourne’s Absent Friends, a comedy about bereavement and the death of love was staged at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London during the spring of 2012. Directed by Jeremy Herrin, the critically-acclaimed production had a stellar cast in alphabetical order, David Armand, Elizabeth Berrington, Katherine Parkinson, Steffan Rhodri, Reece Sheersmith and Kara Tointon – all of whom signed my sketch. Usually with larger casts it takes a few visits to the stage door to complete the set, but on this occasion the ‘graph god was smiling and as they all arrived for a saturday matinée on a sunny mid-april afternoon, one at a time in perfect procession, my mission was accomplished.

Sketch: Indira Varma

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Indira Varma

I’ve drawn British actress Indira Varma a couple of times as her stage characters. This is a simple portrait of ‘her as herself’, so-to-speak. I sketched the Game of Thrones star and she signed while she was playing Miss Cutts in Harold Pinter’s tragicomedy Hothouse at the Trafalgar Studios in London, in June 2013,

Indira currently leads the cast of the Hampstead Theatre’s production of Tiger Country until 17 January.

Drawing: Nicholas Rowe in King Charles III at Wyndham’s Theatre

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

British actor Nicholas Rowe is currently part of the brilliant cast appearing in Rupert Goold‘s popular production KING CHARLES III at London’s Wyndham Theatre.

Mike Bartlett’s play imagines what might happen if the Queen dies and the Prince of Wales becomes King, written mostly in blank verse.

Charles Spencer in The Telegraph describes it as the “most spectacular, gripping and wickedly entertaining piece of ‘lese-majeste’ that British theatre has ever seen.”

Nicholas plays the wily and deeply devious Leader of the Opposition who suggests to Charles that he refuse his Royal consent to a privacy law imposing restrictions on the media.

Since he came to prominence as a nineteen year old in Steven Spielberg’s production of YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES, Nicholas has carved out a versatile career on both stage and screen, including LOCK,STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS, DA VINCI’S DEMONS, MIDSOMER MURDERS, HOTEL BABYLON and HAMLET.

I was waiting at the Wyndham’s stage door which is located on a very busy alley-way, next to the Leicester Square tube station. It was the first saturday of the new year, approaching 2 pm, so the pre-matinée rush was on. However it was easy to pick Nicholas out from the crowd because of his height and distinctive looks and the fact he was casually strolling towards the stage door, albeit slowly as he stopped to chat to people. He was very friendly as we discussed all manner of things from politics to future projects as he happily signed my sketch before heading in to do his bit for the constitutional crisis.

Drawing: Bonnie Langford as The Lady of the Lake in Monty Python’s Spamalot

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

I kept meaning to catch up with musical theatre icon Bonnie Langford and finally I did so over the weekend after a matinée performance of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at London’s Savoy Theatre.

Bonnie plays the glamorous divorcée Muriel Enbanks and signed this sketch of her as the Lady of the Lake from Spamalot.

Ever since winning the talent show Opportunity Knocks as a six year old and taking to the stage a year later in Gone With The Wind, Bonnie has been a crowd favourite. She has played all the big shows – Cats, Me and My Girl and the role of Roxy Hart in Chicago on both the West End and Broadway stages.

She began playing The Lady of the Lake in the UK tour in early 2012 before a three month run at the Harold Pinter Theatre (formerly The Comedy Theatre) later in 2012, then two stints at the Playhouse Theatre in May-November 2013 and February-March 2014.

Drawing: Linda Gray in Cinderella at the New Wimbledon Theatre

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Isn’t that Sue Ellen from Dallas??? Oh, no it isn’t. Oh, yes it is! Well, it is Linda Gray who played JR Ewing’s long-suffering drunken wife in the cult TV series Dallas making her panto debut in Cinderella at London’s New Wimbledon Theatre. Although it’s not Linda’s first appearance on the London stage, it is her first in the British festive tradition. She was encouraged by Patrick Duffy, aka Bobby Ewing, Dallas‘s other surviving star, who played Baron Hardup (Cinderella’s father) in London and told her, “you’ve got to do it!” Linda mixes a touch of the Texan with the familiar fairy tale, playing the stetson-toting, hip flask swigging Fairy Godmother who helps Cinders get to the ball. Her stage credits included the role of Mrs Robinson in The Graduate on both the West End and Broadway stages in the early 2000’s. And here’s a piece of trivia: it’s Linda’s uncredited leg in the iconic 1967 poster for The Graduate film. Her anonymous stocking-clad stem stood in for the film’s star Anne Bancroft at $25 a leg. Cinderella continues at the New Wimbledon Theatre until 11 January 2015.

Drawing: Katie Brayben and Margot Leicester in Charles III at Wyndham’s Theatre

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Mike Bartlett’s audacious new play, King Charles III about the ascension of Prince Charles to the throne after Elizabeth II passes on, resulting in a constitutional crisis, royal family meltdown and ultimately a British coup. It is also a bold play, written as a Shakespearean piece in iambic pentameter. It made its world premiere at the Almeida Theatre, London in April 2014 before transferring to Wyndham’s in the West End until March this year.

Amongst the faultless cast assembled by director Rupert Goold are Olivier nominated Margot Leicester and singer/songwriter Katie Brayben.

Writing in The Telegraph, Dominic Cavendish stated, “the cast are uniformly excellent. There’s a 24 carat contribution from Margot Leicester as a funny, fawning but unmistakably feisty Camilla”. Katie plays the stalking, black veiled ghost of Princess Diana. She will soon be seen playing the legendary Carole King in the Broadway hit musical Beautiful at the Aldwych next month.

Both Katie and Margot signed their respective sketches at the stage door after a Saturday evening performance before Christmas.