Drawing: Jamie Murray

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

jamie-murray

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

alison-thea-skot

“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

sophia-anne-caruso

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

ken-stott-lear

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

lazarus

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

gawn-grainger

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.

Drawing: Lance Cairns

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

lance-cairns

“The method was identical,the timing was superb and the spectators at long-on are now an endangered species,” said Channel 9 commentator Frank Tyson, describing New Zealand’s crowd-pleasing Lance Cairns batting heroics against the old foe Australia at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground on a hot February afternoon in 1983. It was the final of the World Series Cup, Lance carried more of a wooden club than a bat, with cutaway shoulders and a massive blade, which became known as ‘Excalibur’ The veteran all-rounder hit six 6’s in ten balls, including a one-handed hit to the longest boundary in one of the world’s biggest sporting stadiums of the legendary Aussie quick Dennis Lillie. NZ may have lost the match and the series but few overseas players ever receive such sustained acclaim for a performance against the home side as Sir Lancelot did that day.

He probably didn’t hear much of it since he has been profoundly deaf since the age of 17, but I’m sure he was aware of the adulation that is still spoken about today. The following month back in NZ he hit the English spinners to all parts of the ground, including a gigantic six at the Basin Reserve in Wellington that cleared the inner-city ground and sailed down the street never to be seen again.

His bowling style was unique-an awkward wrong footed right arm ‘Harvey the helicopter’ delivery action that he thought was orthodox, but it produced big lethal medium quick in-swingers that harvested a lot of wickets. I have captured the just before release in this sketch which was part of a series of the best 11 NZ cricketers I did in 1991 and all signed through the mail for me. I have described the energetic biro technique before as the ‘epileptic expressionism’… more scribble than careful draftsmanship, but as Jackson Pollock said “technique is just a means of arriving at a statement.”

Drawing: Bert Sutcliffe

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

bert-sutcliffe

Back in the early 1990’s I did a series of NZ cricketers, essentially the best kiwi 11 that had played the game to that point. I adopted what could be best described as an ‘epileptic biro’ rendering technique, which only lasted momentarily. One of the first picked was Bert Sutcliffe, the legendary left-handed batsman who was named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year for his outstanding achievements during their tour of England in 1949. He was later to be named as NZ Champion Sportsperson of the 1940’s Decade in 2000. However it was one particular innings that has engraved Bert into kiwi folklore.

It was Christmas Eve,1953 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. NZ was being routed by the South African fast bowler Neil Adcock on a very green wicket. Bert suffered a near fatal blow to the head and was taken to hospital. But he returned swathed in a large head bandage to continue his innings.It was an injury that would affect him for the rest of his life. He later said, “I must confess I was fortified to some extent by a generous helping of Scotland’s chief product… and I don’t mean porridge.”

Another sombre event affected the team that day. Back in NZ, 151 people lost their lives on the Overnight Express passenger train which was derailed when the Whangaehu river bridge collapsed at Tangiwai. NZ bowler Bob Blair’s fiance, Nerissa Love was one of them. He was too distraught to play, so stayed back at the hotel. When the ninth wicket fell, Bert was unbeaten and started to leave the field. Then Bob appeared, walking to the middle. 23,000 spectators fell silent, not a dry eye on or off the field.

It was one of the most poignant days in the history of sport and Bert’s words to the grieving youngster have been immortalized in what has been regarded as one of the defining chapters in NZ sport, “C’mon son this is no place for you. Let’s swing the bat at the ball and get out of here.” And that they did, putting on 33 in ten minutes before Bob was dismissed, leaving Bert on 80 not out. He passed away in 2001 at the age of 77.

Drawing: David Gower

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

david-gower

This David Gower caricature was the final cross-hatching experimentation in my series of English cricketers who toured New Zealand in the summer of 1991/92. Considered as one of the most stylish and prolific batsman that has ever played the game, ‘Lord Gower’ recorded an impressive First Class record, accumulating over 26,000 runs at an average of 40.08, including 53 centuries, 18 of which were scored in Test matches, including his top total of 215 against Australia at Edgbaston during the 1985 Ashes series.

The former England captain was described by Wisden as “fluffy haired, ethereal looking, who payed beautifully until the moment he made a mistake, but somehow the mistake was put off long enough for him to play an innings of unforgettable brilliance.” He was often criticised by the media for being too laid back and nonchalant Peter Roebuck to remark “Gower ne’er moves, he drifts,” and France Edmonds in the Daily Express wrote,” it’s difficult to be more laid back without being actually comatose.”

These days he leads the Sky Sports commentary team in his usual stylish and relaxed manner.