Drawing: Kate O’Flynn in The Glass Menagerie

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

kate-oflynn

British award-winning actress Kate O’Flynn returns to the London stage in John Tiffany’s elegant production of Tennessee Williams’s 1944 autobiographical breakthrough play, THE GLASS MENAGERIE at the Duke of York’s theatre this month. It transfers from a sell-out run at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Kate plays Laura Wingfield, the frail, damaged daughter of the bruised and brittle Southern matriarch Amanda, played by the formidable Broadway great Cherry Jones. Kate’s entrance through the middle of a sofa has been described as ‘unforgettable’ like the rest of her performance.

She signed my sketch on her way to the theatre for last Saturday’s matinee.

Drawing: Warwick Davis in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

warwick-davis

The 3′ 6″ STAR WARS and HARRY POTTER star Warwick Davis appeared as Prof in the Bristol Hippodrome festive season panto production of SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS in 2015. Warwick came to prominence as the Ewok Wicket in STAR WARS EPISODE VI RETURN OF THE JEDI and continued in THE PHANTOM MENACE, in three roles – Weael, Wald and the walking version of Yoda. In 2015 he returned in the sequel THE FORCE AWAKENS. Warwick was also part of the HARRY POTTER series, as Professor Filius Flitwick and Griphook. On the small screen he played a fictionalised version of himself in the sitcom LIFE’S TOO SHORT, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

I sent this sketch of Warwick as Prof to the Bristol Hippodrome in December 2015 and it came back last week, signed and dedicated!

Drawing: Cordelia Braithwaite

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

cordelia-braithwaite

English ballerina Cordelia Braithwaite has been a regular with Sir Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures Company productions since 2013. In a few short years, the 23 year-old has played both the Italian and Spanish Princesses and the Girlfriend in Sir Matthew’s production of SWAN LAKE before playing Mercedes, Frankie and Lana in THE CAR MAN, followed by Aurora and Hibernia in SLEEPING BEAUTY. She is currently sharing the lead role of gifted ballerina Vicky Page with Ashley Shaw in THE RED SHOES, which completed a sell-out, two-month run at Sadler’s Wells, where she signed my sketch before embarking on a national tour.

Drawing: Ashley Shaw in The Red Shoes

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

ashley-shaw

Sir Matthew Bourne’s full-length ballet adaption of the 1948 film THE RED SHOES is currently touring the UK after a sold-out, two-month season at Sadler’s Wells in London where it had it’s World Premiere over the Christmas period. It is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale about Vicky Page, a young dancer, who is forced to choose between fulfilling her dream and falling in love. Australian ballerina Ashley Shaw plays the lead role, fresh from featuring in Sir Matthew’s dazzling re-imaging of the ballet fairytale SLEEPING BEAUTY which has smashed box office records across the UK and US. She signed this sketch for me at Sadler’s last week.

Drawing: Cherry Jones in The Glass Menagerie

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

cherry-jones

I finally got to meet the Broadway icon and one of America’s greatest stage actresses Cherry Jones on Saturday at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London where the two-time Tony winner makes her West End debut in Tennessee William’s 1944 five-character memory play, THE GLASS MENAGERIE.

Cherry reprises her 2013 Broadway role as the faded Southern belle Amanda Wingfield in the John Tiffany production which also headlined at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where critics described her performance as ‘sensational’.

“For a woman my age this part is our HAMLET,” said the sixty year-old in a recent interview with WhatsOnStage. She also said that she had been trying to get to Britain all her adult life, “Now I’m in heaven and I want to stay.” TV viewers will know her for her Emmy Award winning role as the US President Allison Taylor in the Fox series 24.

Cherry was having a quick break from an afternoon run-trough on Saturday before the evening performance and I happened to be there at the right time. She was very warm and gracious and was more the happy signed my sketch.

Cartoons this week

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

A week in politics can be a long time…

special-relationship1 grat-wall hair-force-one may-trump-visit4 refuse-2 refuser

Drawing: Kirsten Hazel Smith in The Mousetrap

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

kirsten-mousetrap

English actress Kirsten Hazel Smith joined this years cast for the 65th year of Agatha Christie’s THE MOUSETRAP, the world’s longest running play. At London’s St Martin’s Theatre. Kirsten plays Mollie Ralston, the proprietor of Monkswell Manor, the venue for the famous murder mystery. Kirsten’s previous stage appearances include THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and A FLEA IN HER EAR at the Old Vic.She signed this drawing for me after last Saturdays matinee at the stage door.

Drawing: Hannah Lee in The Mousetrap

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Hannah Lee drawing, The Mousetrap, West End

Hannah Lee is one of the new cast members for the 2016/17 season of Agatha Christie’s legendary whodunnit THE MOUSETRAP, as it continues its record-breaking run at St Martin’s Theatre. Hannah has played Miss Casewell since the cast change-over lat last year. A graduate of the Bristol Old Vic, after completing an Honours degree in English at Cambridge University, Hannah made her West End debut in the world’s longest running play and becomes one of the 450 actors and actresses who have appeared in the production since it opened at the Ambassadors Theatre on 25 November 1952. The cast have a very short time between the late Saturday matinee, and the evening performance, but Hannah did pop out for a break and I managed to catch her to sign this drawing.

Drawing: Elisa Badenes

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

elisa-badenes

Spanish ballerina Elisa Badenes is a Principal dancer at the Stuttgart Ballet and a Guest Artist with the English National Ballet. She has just competed the London Coliseum leg of the UK tour of Abram Khan’s production of GISELLE. After attending the Conservatorio Profesional de Danna de Valencia in her home town she won a scholarship at the Prix de Lausanne in 2008 to study at the Royal Ballet, graduating a year later. She joined the Stuttgart Ballet and quickly rose to her current Principal position. I left this sketch at the stage door on Sunday, just before Elisa danced the final performance and it arrived back yesterday, signed and dedicated.

Drawing: Karla Crome in Amadeus

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Mark Winter / Chicane

karla-crome

Twenty-eight year-old London-born actress Karla Crome is currently receiving excellent reviews for her portrayal of Mozart’s shrewd and sharp-witted wife Constanze in Michael Longhurst’s revival of Peter Shaffer’s AMADEUS on the Olivier stage at the National Theatre. Writing in the Radio Times, Claire Webb said that Karla was “superb.” Her small screen credits include Sky Atlantic’s HIT & MISS and regular Jess on E4’s MISFITS. In 2012, Screen International named her as one of the UK Stars of Tomorrow.

Karla is also an accomplished playwright. IF CHLOE CAN was presented by the National Youth Theatre and the award-winning MUSH AND ME premiered at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe.

I found an intriguing piece of trivia in her Q&A on the Theatre’s website. Karla was asked about any pre-show rituals, and she replied she always does vocal warm-ups by singing ten nursery rhymes through a straw. “It’s not a good look, but I swear by it.”

I left this sketch at the National, where she signed it for me, in clutch pencil, which is also unusual.