Drawing: Feliciano Lopez

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez makes ATP World Tour Finals debut this week at London’s O2. At 35 – which he says is 200 in tennis years – the current world No. 28 in singles teams up with fellow Spaniard and Lopez, Marc, to compete in the doubles.

They entered the Finals ranked the No.4 team, with Feliciano as the 9th best men’s doubles player on the planet. His highest ranking in the singles was No.12 last year.

Together with Marc they won this year’s French Open beating the Bryan brothers in the final. They also reached the US Open semi finals. The left-handler signed my sketch this week at the O2.

Drawing: David Goffin

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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Another rising star on the men’s tennis circuit is the charming David Goffin, who is the alternate at this year’s ATP World Tour Finals at London’s O2. ‘La Goff” as he is known did play a pool match, replacing an injured Gael Monfills against Novak Djokovic yesterday.

The 25 year-old right-handler has won two ATP titles. His breakthrough year was 2012, when he missed qualification for the French Open, but gained entry as the ‘lucky loser’, ironically replacing Gael again. He reached the final 16 before being beaten by a certain Roger Federer. This year he reached the quarter finals, attaining a career high No.11, which is his current ranking.

As a diligent alternate, David has been arriving first thing each day to practice with all the players. David is proof that you don’t have be a ‘physical monster’, as the TV commentary team described him, to be a top player. There’s hope for me yet. The charming 5′ 11” Belgian signed my sketch on his arrival earlier this week.

Drawing: Dominic Thiem

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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After a stellar year, young tennis player Dominic Thiem made his debut at the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals which started this week at London’s 02 arena. In spite of struggling during the latter part of the season, his four titles earlier in 2016 and a career high ranking of 7 enabled the 23 year-old to become the youngest player in the elite eight man field. Known for his aggressive baseline play, heavy ground strokes and a rare and impressive single-handed backhand. After losing, but taking a set off former No.1 Novak Djokovic in his opening match, Dominic showed his much heralded potential with a win over the stylish Frenchman Gael Monfils in his second pool match to keep his hopes alive of making the semis later in the week. I caught up with ‘The Dominator,’ as he’s nicknamed when he arrived from the clipper at the Greenwich Peninsula pier on Monday. The likeable and humble Austrian liked the drawing and was happy to sign and dedicate it for me.

Drawing: Jamie Murray

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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It’s the ATP World Tour Finals time again and my chance to gather another harvest of signed tennis drawings. My first post is the older half of ‘the first family of British Tennis’, Jamie Murray, who along with younger brother, singles numerous uno Andy could both claim the year-end No 1 doubles and singles spots by end of this week.

Along with his Brazilian partner Bruno Soares, the thirty-year old Scottish left-handler has had an exceptional year, winning both the Australian and US Open titles. His other previous Grand Slam win was the Wimbledon Mixed Doubles with Jelena Jankovic in 2007. In spite of their 2016 success, Jamie and Bruno came into this Tour Finals seeded number 2, but after remaining unbeaten after two rounds have put themselves in the driving seat to take the title and end the year at the top men’s doubles rankings. Earlier in the year Jamie reached the doubles No 1 individual spot in the doubles but is currently No 4. He arrived at London’s 02 early yesterday for his match with the legendary Bryan brothers and said “Nice one” as he signed this sketch it for me.

Drawing: Alison Thea-Skot

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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“You get to solve a crime, meet Cher (as a bat) and fall in love with the women with Two Heads – it’s a damn good time!” said acclaimed comedian Alison Thea-Skot about her latest show IT’S THEA-SKOT IN HERE (SO TAKE OFF ALL YOUR CLOTHES), which had its sold out, five star run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe following her equally impressive SOME LIKE IT THEA-SKOT last year. Funny Women described her as “Everything an Edinburgh Fringe show should be, brave, silly, a little bit unhinged and very, very funny.” The British solo character comedian, actress, writer and improviser has moved extensively from Shakespeare’s Globe to the BBC’s Basil Brush. She was nominated for Best Actress at the 2014 British Independent Film Festival for her role in DESIRE.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet Chortle’s ‘comic genius’ after her one-night stand-up last week at London’s Museum of Comedy in the bowels of St George’s Church in Bloomsbury, where she signed this montage sketch for me.

Drawing: Sophia Anne Caruso in Lazarus

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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I posted a signed drawing of Michael C Hall and Sophia Anne Caruso in Lazarus a few days ago. Both have reprised their roles in the David Bowie musical based on his film THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, which transferred from New York to London’s specially constructed pop-up Kings Cross Theatre this month. Because of the weather I was unable to stand at the stage door and get it graphed in person, so I actually left it for Sophia along with this sketch of her. Both came back signed along with a nice note thanking me. Fourteen year old Sophia auditioned for the part of the child woman Girl in secret because they only wanted actors over 18.

She said she was always in awe of David Bowie, so when she got a call ten minutes before her second call-back to say that her idol was present and that if she hurried she would sing for him. She moved like never before. He said ‘it was nice to meet me’,she recalled. Two days later, on her 15th birthday she got the part. On opening night David gave her a gold rocket pin and a card saying he appreciated her doing the role. The card was stolen, but she will always treasure the pin.

Drawing: Ken Stott as King Lear in The Dresser

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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My wife and I have a Bard tradition of celebrating our wedding anniversary with a touch of Shakespeare. It can be one of his plays or a production that includes or is based on his work. This year we popped along to Sean Foley’s acclaimed revival of Ronald Harwood’s tragicomedy THE DRESSER at the Duke of York’s in London. The brilliant Scottish and Olivier Award winning actor Ken Stott is ‘Sir’, a fading ham actor who rolls through the regions during the second World War ‘giving’ his Lear, Othello and Richard III to the people. Like the Shakespearean monarch, he is in decline as his longtime and long suffering dresser Norman, wonderfully played by Reece Shearsmith, tries to get him through the evening’s performance of KING LEAR. Both Ken and Reece signed a sketch I did of them together. This one is Ken as Lear, which he graphed for me last night at the stage door.

Drawing: Michael C.Hall and Sophia Anne Caruso in Lazarus

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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LAZARUS has landed in London. Described as David Bowie’s parting gift to the world, the unconventional musical is a collaboration between the music of ‘Ziggy Stardust’, Irish playwright Enda Walsh and Belgian avant-garde director Ivo van Howe, based on NIcolas Roeg’s 1976 film THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, in which Bowie starred as the humanoid alien Thomas Newton, stranded on earth after being driven out by a drought on his own planet. It premiered at the New York Theatre Workshop at the end of 2015. His final public appearance was at the show’s opening on 7 December 2015 prior to his death a month later. The opening song, ‘Lazarus’ is the third track on his final album ‘Blackstar.’

DEXTER’s Michael C.Hall plays Newton and Sophie Anne Caruso is Girl, his muse. Both have reprised their roles in Bowie’s birthplace, at the pop-up Kings Cross Theatre with a specially constructed cavernous 900 seater venue. It opened last night.

I popped over on Friday night to the uncovered stage door to get this sketch signed in person, but it was raining, an unusual occurrence for London and not ideal for collection graphs. However the very kind stage door staff promised to get it to Michael and Sophia Anne and they did.

Drawing: Adam Rothenberg and Lydia Wilson in Fool For Love

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

fool-for-love

Sam Shepherd’s play FOOL FOR LOVE, a finalist for the 1984 Pulitzer Drama Prize is the final production this year at the intimate hipster pop-up venue Found 111 on the site of the old Central St Martin’s School of Art in London’s Charring Cross Rd. RIPPER STREET co-stars Adam Rothenberg and Lydia Wilson are former lovers Eddie and May, confined in a run-down motel room fighting for the love they can’t live with or without.

New Jersey-born Adam makes his London stage debut after a variety of American stage and screen performances. Fresh from blockbuster STAR TREK BEYOND, Lydia was last treading the local boards in her Olivier-nominated role as Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge in KING CHARLES III. I caught up with both of them after an evening performance last week and they signed my sketch.

Drawing: Gawn Grainger in The Entertainer

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

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Instead of quietly slipping off to Tuscany and working on his memoirs, veteran British actor Gawn Grainger stepped into the role of ex-showman Billy Rice in THE ENTERTAINER, the final production in the Kenneth Branagh season of plays at The Garrick. The 78 year-old replaced John Hurt, who was originally cast to play the father of washed-up music hall performer Archie Rice, but had to withdraw for medical reasons.

Gawn’s illustrious stage career began with his West End debut at the age of twelve before going on to be part of Lawrence Olivier’s inaugural season at the National Theatre and has since worked with the professions finest. Paul Taylor wrote about Gawn’s performance in his Independent review “Gawn Grainger is perfection at conveying the Edwardian staunch pride and garrulous irritability with the modern world.” He signed my drawing at the stage door, commenting, “it looks like me,” which is always a good sign.