Drawing: John Travolta

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

While the whole film industry congregated next door for the BAFTAs at the Royal Opera House last Sunday afternoon, the dreaded and drying metallic silver marker pen made an unwelcome appearance at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.

A handful of expectant ‘graphers gathered by one of a dozen possible doors in anticipation of catching ‘Danny Zuko’s’ early arrival for ‘A Conversation with John Travolta’.

A large black Land Rover pulled up, signalling the designated entry point, and like Greased Lightening we quickly slipped into position. Chills weren’t the only thing multiplying as numbers suddenly swelled and it was the quills multiplying…. well, not exactly, but a quill would have been a lot better than the dreaded drying metallic silver marker that belonged to the first person who greeted John with a ‘graph request. He was more than happy to sign as many as possible, but with the wretched rendering instrument, not the one that I want! Ew, ew, ew!

Always remember when ‘graphing, be first in line, or make sure that if you can’t be first, give em a black sharpie!

Drawing: George Clooney

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

I first met George Clooney on the Warner Bros lot sometime in the mid 1990s, I was heading to the set of ER… and so was he, on a bicycle. He reminded me of Paul Newman in the famous scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, although George took a more direct route without Katherine Ross on his handlebars and being chased by an angry bull.

Since then I have met George over numerous occasions at various events on the natural cycle of life and he has always been the same – charming, funny, friendly and accommodating. I recall interviewing him at ShoWest in Las Vegas while he was promoting Three Kings. I was the last in a lengthy line up. He was due on stage and the organisers were urging him to move… but he stayed and chatted. “I’d love to work in New Zealand,” he said. “I’ll play the drunk in the corner.”

Our paths briefly crossed again at the UK premiere of his latest film The Monument Men at the Odeon in Leicester Square last night, in which he does everything – act, direct, produce, write.

He was in good form – not just charming, friendly and accommodating, but quick too as he rapidly ‘did the entire line’. He saw my sketch and said, “oh, nice!” and signed his distinctive ‘GCy’ moniker.

Drawing: Sir Kenneth Branagh

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Lauded as one of the great Shakespearean interpreters on both stage and film, Sir Kenneth Branagh returned to Shakespeare after more than a decade in July 2013. He co-directed and headlined in Macbeth with Rob Ashford at the Manchester International Festival. Alex Kingston played Lady Macbeth. Set in the intimate, deconsecrated St Peter’s Church to sell-out performances, the production will transfer to the Park Avenue Armoury in New York this June, marking Ken’s stage debut in the Big Apple.

A BAFTA and Emmy winner, he is the first man to be nominated for an Academy Award in five different categories, the most recent as Supporting Actor, playing Sir Laurence Olivier in My Week With Marilyn.

He walked the red carpet at the Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit European premiere at the Vue Cinema in Leicester Square this week as both director and antagonist Russian Viktor Cherevin, and signed my quick black biro Macbeth portrait.

Drawing: Bryony Hannah in The Children’s Hour at The Comedy Theatre

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The Children’s Hour was Lillian Hellman’s first hit play. It premiered in 1934 at Maxine Elliot’s Theatre on Broadway. At the time, any mention of homosexuality on stage was illegal in New York State, but the play was such a success and widely praised that the subject matter was overlooked. A revival was staged at London’s Comedy Theatre in early 2011, directed by Ian Rickson.

It starred Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss as two school mistresses of an all girls boarding school in the 1930s. Their reputations and careers are thrown into chaos when disgruntled student Mary Tilford, played by Bryony Hannah, wrongly claims the two women are having a lesbian affair. It also featured Ellen Burstyn as the evil doting grandmother.

Hannah won rave reviews and an Olivier nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The Times described her as, “a diminutive scowling unknown in a rumpled gymslip who acts the stars right off the stage… the first act is hers and boy does she punch above her weight.”

The Express said her performance, “borders on the brilliant.”

TV viewers will know her as the meek Cynthia Miller in Call the Midwife, and she is currently back on stage at the National in Nick Payne’s Blurred Lines until 22 February.

Drawing: Leonardo DiCaprio

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Leonardo DiCaprio once said;

“I have no connection with me during the whole Titanic phenomenon and what my face became around the world. I’ll never reach that state of popularity again.”

Let’s face it, Leo-mania may have passed, but the man can still pull a crowd and on face value, you don’t get much bigger. That face has taken on many guises, not only Jack Dawson, but also Romeo, Danny Archer, J. Edgar Hoover, Amsterdam Vallon, Billy Costigan, Jay Gatsby, Calvin Candie, Howard Hughes and Jordan Belfort.

The last two manifestations I chose to draw – the eccentric and obsessive film director and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes (The Aviator, 2004) and Jordan Belfort, the swindling stockbroker in Leo’s latest The Wolf of Wall Street, which had its UK premiere this week.

Anticipating facing a big crowd, I went to Leicester Square earlier than usual to join the Leo -maniacs. When the sun goes down, the stars come out and the Leonardo constellation is one of the brightest.

Like other famous faces Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp, Leo “does the line,” meaning he goes around the barriers signing for as many people as possible. He didn’t disappoint.

He saw the sketch and said “How cool,” signed his distinctive ‘premiere’ sig and in the hysteria, took time to dedicate it to me, smiled then quickly moved down the line. Very cool – face to face with the real Leo!

Drawing: Mark Rylance, Joanna Lumley and David Hyde Pierce in La Bête

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

American playwright David Hirson’s rollicking 1991 play La Bête is a comic tour de force involving Elomire (David Hyde Pierce), a hight-minded classical dramatist who loves only theatre, and Valere (Mark Rylance) a low-born street clown who loves only himself. When the fickle princess (Joanna Lumley) decides she’s grown weary of Elomire’s Royal Theatre troupe, he and Valere are left fighting for survival as art squares off with ego in a literary showdown.

La Bête completed its West End Season from June to August 2010 at the Comedy Theatre (now Harold Pinter) before transferring to the Music Box Theatre for a limited two month run on Broadway in September/October that year.

All three stars signed my sketches at the Comedy Theatre in London.

Drawing: Ronald Pickup in Waiting For Godot at Theatre Royal Haymarket

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Distinguished thespian Ronald Pickup worked with Sir Laurence Olivier at the National, namely Three Sisters and Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and was nominated for an Olivier Award in 1998 for his supporting role in Amy’s View.

He played the role of ‘Lucky’ alongside Ian Mckellen, Patrick Stewart and Simon Callow in Sean Mathias production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket. He signed my sketch after I was lucky enough to see a Saturday matinée in August 2009.

Drawing: John McEnroe

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

John McEnroe is a legend, to put it mildly. Perhaps the most iconic player in the history of tennis, and only one of a handful from his generation to have transcended the sport.

Famous for his temper as for his precocious talent, he is without doubt one of tennis’ all time greats with 17 Grand Slam titles – including 7 Singles (3 Wimbledons and 4 US Opens).

He became the top ranked singles player in the world on March 3, 1980 and spent a total of 170 weeks at number one between 1980 and 1985.

John has also been called “the greatest doubles player of all time,” forming a powerful partnership with Peter Fleming. They won 57 men’s doubles titles including four at Wimbledon and three at the US Open.

On the few occasions I have met John he has been extremely pleasant and has happily signed. After beating Wayne Ferreira in his opening game at the Statoil Masters at the Royal Albert Hall – a title he has won on four previous occasions – he signed and dedicated my sketch.

Drawing: Jude Law in Henry V at The Noël Coward Theatre

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The final play in the Michael Grandage season at the Noël Coward Theatre is Henry V, starring Jude Law. Jude signed and dedicated my drawing on Wednesday night, after a preview performance of Henry V.

Drawing: Janie Dee in Noises Off at the Novello Theatre

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Janie Dee is the charming and versatile multi-award winning British actress, singer and musical theatre star. She won the three most prestigious awards in British Theatre, the Olivier, the Evening Standard and the Critic’s Circle Award for Best Actress in a Play. In addition, she has also collected the Obie and Theatre World Best Newcomer Award in New York for her legendary performance as Jacie Triplethree in Alan Ayckbourn’s Comic Potential, which was written especially for her. Janie also won the Oliver for Best Supporting Actress in a musical for her performance as Carrie Pipperidge in Nicholas Hytner’s acclaimed production of Rodger and Hammerstein’s Carousel at the National Theatre.

She signed a previous sketch I drew of the Noises Off cast at the Old Vic in late 2011. Due to popular demand it transferred to the Novello Theatre, where she signed this drawing. She remembered the previous sketch and was very complimentary, offering me free tickets to her cabaret show at the Hippodrome the following month.