Drawing: The Dragon at Southwark Theatre

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The Tangram Theatre Company’s brand new take on Yevgeny Schwartz’s brilliantly funny 1943 critique of Stalinist Russia, The Dragon, is currently running at the Southwark Playhouse in London.

Led by their award winning director Daniel Goldman, their productions are described as, “joyous, exciting, messy, chaotic, irreverent, intelligent, silly, fun and surprising”. The Dragon is all of these things and more. It’s an anti-panto and wicked allegory lampooning the soviet bloc. Daniel likens it to, “The Princess Bride meets Captain America and Animal Farm“.

Adapted by Daniel and his company, who form an impressive ensemble cast that includes Anthony Best, Hannah Boyde, Justin Butcher, Jo Hartland, James Marshall, James Rowland, Peter Stickney, Stella Tyalor, Rob Witconb and Charlotte Workman. They cover all the (un)usual suspects required for this fairy tail – Lancelot, the Knight-errant and cut price superhero; a narrating feline, a pretty and innocent in-and-out-of-distress damsel, her always distressed mother, a mad mayor-cum-diabolical-dictator, his sleazy intelligence-challenged son, visiting strangers bearing gifts, a cow…. oh, yes and a three headed dragon.

I was introduced to the term ‘samizdat satire’ by one reviewer. It’s the romanticisation of a soviet form of dissident activity and the practice of evading officially imposed censorship, which was certainly the environment in which the Russian-Jewish playwright wrote this piece.

The Dragon ends on 10 January 2015.

Drawing: John Hinton and Jo Eagle in Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking at the Southwark Theatre

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The independent Tangram Theatre Company has taken up residency at the Southwark Playhouse over the Festive Season with two must see productions, both directed by Daniel Goldman.

The first offering is the award-winning Albert Einstein Relativitively Speaking, the part history lesson, part musical comedy, written and performed by John Hinton and accompanied by Jo Eagle.

The Times simply called it, “something close to brilliance”.

Albert Einstein, the eccentric theoretical physicist with “the übercoolest moustache in science” delivers a lecture that includes a couple of wives, his mum, two theories of relativity, two world wars, quantum leaps and two very big bombs.

One of the highlights is a hip hop number by guest rapper MC Squared – wunderbar! It runs until 3 January 2015.

Drawing: Liam Mower in Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theatre

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Liam Mower was one of the three original ‘Billys’ rotating the role in the West End production of Billy Elliot The Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre. It’s the story of motherless Billy in the north of England during the coal miners’ strike who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes.

Along with cast mates James Lomas and George Maguire he won the 2006 Olivier for Best Actor in a Musical, the youngest recipient of Britain’s most prestigious theatre award.

Originally signed for six months, he became indispensable and Sir Elton John (who wrote the music) and Stephen Daldry, the director, renewed his contract three times. After being picked to play Billy on the show’s opening night in 2005 he remained 18 months in the role.

He made his final scheduled appearance as Billy on 30 September 2006 . It made local and international news, spelling the end of the original boys cast in the title role. On an emotional final night he was presented with a dog called ‘Billy’. Director Stephen Daldry said, “Rarely does one ever come across a performer with so many skills and talents, particularly when matched by Liam’s determination and good humour… one of the most celebrated child performers ever in the West End.”

He is now part of Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures dance company and is currently sharing the lead role in Edward Scissorhands with Dominic North at Sadler’s Wells where he signed this drawing.

Drawing: Ashley Shaw, Dominic North, Katy Lowenhoff and Liam Mower in Edward Scissorhands

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

This year’s Christmas offering at Sadler’s Wells in London is Matthew Bournes’ revival of Edward Scissorhands based on the classic Tim Burton movie and Danny Elfman’s emotive score. It’s a gothic fairytale set in the middle American town of Hope Springs, a latter-day tragic tale of forbidden love, a bionic boy with scissors for hands, longing for love and acceptance.

The Times described it as, “the perfect synthesis of dance and drama, comedy and pathos, exuberant theatrically and heart warming entertainment”.

Dominic North returns to the title role he originated in 2005. He alternates performing Edward with Liam Mower (the original Billy Elliot). Ashley Shaw and Katy Lowenhoff do the same as Kim Boggs, who is torn between Edward and the brutish Jim Upton.

I left these sketches at the theatre last week and Dominic, Liam, Katy and Ashley all signed them for me – a nice Chrissy pressie.

The show runs until 11 January 2015.

Drawing: Annabel Scholey in Passion Play

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

British actress Annabel Scholey played the alluring Kate in last year’s West End revival of Peter Nichol’s Passion Play at the Duke of York’s Theatre.

The 25-year-old marriage of James and Eleanor (Owen Teale and Zoe Wanamaker) is disrupted by his affair with Annabel’s femme fatale. The playwright has also created their alter egos, Jim and Nell (Oliver Cotton and Samantha Bond) which allows the lead characters to express their private thoughts and anxieties.The technical device was not given to the femme fatal Kate, who comes across as a heartless predator.

Oxford-trained Annabel has balanced her career with a bunch of Shakespearian parts-she played Queen Anne to Kevin Spacey’s Richard III at the Old Vic – and a stint as a vampire in the cult BBC series Being Human.

She signed this sketch of her as Kate at the Theatre in June 2013.

Drawing: Zoe Wanamaker and Samantha Bond (Eleanor and Nell) in Passion Play

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Two of the great contemporary British actors of our time, Zoe Wanamaker and Samantha Bond combined in David Leveaux’s beautifully judged revival of Passion Play at the Duke of York’s Theatre last summer.

Peter Nichol’s searing play of a modern marriage disrupted by a ‘blast of sexual infidelity’ is technically daring with the two leading characters each portrayed by two actors for public and private thoughts.

Zoe and Samantha play the competing versions of the same innocent character, soon shattered and betrayed in a 25 year marriage she believed to be happy and strong.
Owen Teale and Oliver Cotton play the love rat husband and his alter ego.

When it opened in 1981 at London’s Aldwych Theatre critics recounted a joke about Moses coming down from Sinai with the Commandments and announcing, “First the good news – I’ve got ’em down to ten. Now the bad news – adultery’s still on.”

Samantha’s maiden name is apt – her best known screen role is in the James Bond series, playing Miss Moneypenny, secretary to M. She appeared throughout Pierce Brosnan’s tenure as 007 which began in 1994 and ended in 2002 with Golden Eye, Tomorow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day.

Zoe’s extensive list of stage and screen credits includes the Harry Potter series. Fo her theatre works hs ha sheen nominate four times of the Tony and nine times for the Oliver awards, wining two. She has also received three BAFTA nominations.

Both signed this sketch for me at the theatre in Juen 2013.

Drawing: Owen Teale and Oliver Cotton (James and Jim) in Passion Play

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Owen Teale and Oliver Cotton played the same character in the revival of Peter Nichol’s Passion Play at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London’s West End in the middle of 2013.

An initially happy 25 year marriage becomes strained to breaking point when the husband embarks on an affair with a woman half his age.

Owen played the husband (James) opposite Zoe Wanamaker. But each has an identically dressed alter ego, respectively played by Oliver (Jim) and Samantha Bond, who depicts the character’s interior thoughts and feelings.

Owen won the 1997 Tony Award for his performance as Torvald in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House at the Belasco Theatre. Oliver’s prolific stage career was founded on his extensive work at the National during the time Sir Laurence Olivier was its articsic director. He also writes scripts for both stage and screen. They both signed my sketch at the theatre in June 2013.

Drawing: Fagin and Nancy, Griff Rhys Jones and Jodie Prenger in Oliver!

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Welsh comedian Griff Rhys Jones joined Jodie Prenger in Rupert Goold and Matthew Bourne’s 2009 revival of the Lionel Bart classic musical Oliver! at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane, during the Christmas of 2009.

Griff took over the role of Charles Dicken’s conniving career criminal Fagin pickin’ a pocket or two with his gang of homeless boys. He replaced Omid Djalili becoming the fourth person to portray the loveable rogue in December for six month stint.

Jodie won the BBC TV’s I’d Do Anything to find Nancy for the West End revival in 2008 – a role she played from the opening night in January 2009 until March 2010 plus a two show one off performance on 13 November 2010 filling in for Kerry Ellis.

Griff also returned to Oliver! in December 2010 for a five week start until final curtain in January the following year. I left this black biro sketch at the theatre where both Griff and Jodie signed it for me.

Drawing: Vanessa Kirby in A Streetcar Named Desire

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

I sketched 26 year old English actress Vanessa Noola Kirby – or ‘Noo’ as she is known (“no one ever calls me Vanessa,” she says) in her role as the endearing Stella opposite Gillian Anderson‘s Blanche Dubois in Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire at London’s Old Vic during the late summer.

I didn’t manage to have the drawing signed at the theatre in person, so sent it to her. She autographed and returned it quicker than I’ve ever known… a matter of hours, and Royal Mail redeemed its reputation. Quick sums up Noo. Her short but stellar career has quickly launched her on the right trajectory. It was another ‘Stella’ part that introduced her to the masses, enchanting TV audiences as Estella also opposite Gillian in the BBC’s Great Expectations in 2011.

Noo now has five films coming out in almost as many months, playing characters with different names this time. She has also been nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award, which the public vote on.

Drawing: Lindsay Duncan in That Face

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

I met Scottish actress Lindsay Duncan at the Noël Coward Theatre in London in 2012 where she was performing Noel Coward’s Hay Fever. She signed a sketch I drew of her as the lead role of Judith Bliss. I also had this sketch of her as Martha from That Face, which was initially staged at The Royal Court Theatre, before transferring to the Duke of York’s in the West End in 2007. She was nominated for a Best Actress Olivier Award, but I never got it signed at the time. She is currently on Broadway in the revival of Edward Albee’s A Delicated Balance, so I mailed it to her and she very kindly signed and returned it for me.

Since beginning her professional stage career in Dom Juan at London’s Hampstead Theatre in 1976, Lindsay has created an impressive theatrical CV on both sides of the Atlantic.

In September 1985 she created the role of the Marquise de Merteuil in Les Liaisons Dangereuses for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford Upon Avon before transferring to The Pit in London’s Barbican Centre and then to the Ambassadors in the West End.

In 1987 the play moved to New York. For her performance Lindsay was nominated for a Tony Award and won the Olivier for Best Actress. She won her second Oliver and the Tony in 2001 for her performance as Amanda Prynne in Private Lives. She also won the Critics Circle Theatre Award and Drama Desk Award for the role.