Drawing: Jim Broadbent and Rachael Stirling in Theatre of Blood

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Theatre of Blood is a cultish 1973 MGM film that featured Vincent Price as Edward Lionheart, an old, vengeful Shakespearean ham actor and Diana Rigg as his Cordelia -like daughter, Edwina.

Having been robbed of the coveted ‘Critics Cirtcle’ award, Lionheart decides to murder seven critics – each representing one of the seven deadly sins, one by one.

The butchery takes place in a crumbling derelict theatre and each critic’s demise is inspired by the deaths of characters in the plays Lionheart performed in his final season of Shakespeare Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, Troilus and Cressida, Richard III, Othello and Henry VI, Part I.

The National Theatre produced the stage version, which was adapted from the film by British Company ‘Improbable’ with Oscar winner Jim Broadbent playing Lionheart and two time Olivier nominee Rachael Stirling (Diana Rigg’s daughter) playing his daughter Miranda (not Edwina).

The adaption ran at the National’s Lyttleton Theatre between May and September 2005.

Drawing: Alan Bennett and Alan Jennings

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Winner of three Olivier Awards, Alex Jennings is one of Britain’s most revered actors and has been lauded as the new John Gielgud. His latest stage appearance was in the National Theatre’s critically acclaimed double bill, Untold Stories by Alan Bennett. Alex plays Alan in two autobiographical recollections “Hymn” a touching story of music and childhood and “Cocktail Sticks” which revisits some of the themes and conversations of the author’s memoir A Life Like Other People’s.

It transferred to The Duchess Theatre in April this year and completed its run last Saturday evening.

On press night, Alex stopped the curtain call applause to recall his old friend and colleague Richard Griffiths. He delivered a tear choked address and reminded the packed auditorium that the lights had been dimmed across the West End at 7.28pm in honour of the actor who had died the previous week following complications after a heart operation.

Drawing: Benedict Cumberbatch in After The Dance

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Due to the popularity of this post, here are two more of my Benedict Cumberbatch sketches:

Benedict signed these sketches at the National Theatre stage door after a performance of After The Dance in August 2010

Drawing: Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller in Frankenstein

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Danny Boyle returned to theatre direction with an adapted version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein by Nick Dear at the National Theatre in London in 2011.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternated the two lead roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature. On the 17th and 19th of March 2011, the production was broadcast to cinemas around the world as part of the National Theatre Live programme.

Benedict and Jonny both shared the Olivier Award and the London Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for their respective performances. However, the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards’ Best Performance by an Actor in a Play was given solely to Benedict.

They both signed my programme after I saw one of the two world premiere opening nights in February 2011 (Benedict was the Creature, Jonny was Frankenstein) but a signed sketch never came back from the theatre. I drew another one and waited until Jonny was attending a Dark Shadows premiere in Leicester Square in May 2012 and he gladly signed for me. But I couldn’t get Benedict until he was at the latest Star Trek: Into Darkness world premiere, also in Leicester Square. Amongst a real frenzy I managed to get his attention. He loved the sketch, and dedicated it for me, saying “great drawing”.

Drawing: Alex Jennings and Richard Griffiths in The Habit of Art at The National Theatre

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

RIP Richard Griffiths.

Although known as a ‘grumpy signer’ by the autograph collecting ‘fraternity’ – I guess it was one of the unique features of getting a Griffiths ‘graph with the gruffness, I personally always enjoyed meeting him and never had a refusal. He had one of the nicest signatures – full name, well scripted and always consistent.

He signed this sketch at the National during his season of The Habit of Art in January 2010. I was waiting at the stage door after an evening performance with a number of other hopefuls – a mixture of zombies and audience members. Richard eventually came out. I was standing on my own to the left of the exit. He stopped and started to roll ~~a siggy~~ a ciggy. After a few moments he turned to me and said. “I’m just having a cigarette.”
“Feel free,” I replied.

A little while later he said, “Have you got something for me?”
“I have.”
“What is it?”
“A sketch,” I said
“Oh.”

More minutes passed. I think I was the ‘graph guinea pig that evening, testing Richard to see if he was ‘in the mood’.

“Can I see it?” he asked.
“Sure,” and I showed it to him.
“Very good. Do you want me to sign it?”
“To Mark,” I told him and handed him the Sharpie. He did the siggy, finished the ciggy, hopped in the waiting car and left. I wonder if he’ll sign for God?

Drawing: Richard Briers in ‘National Assurance’ at The National Theatre

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Back in 2010 Richard Briers was in National Assurance at the National Theatre in London. As well as being performed on stage it was screened live in theatres around the world and for the courtyard at the National (where I was). At the end of the play the cast all came out to do a curtain call for the people in the courtyard, before quickly disappearing back inside again to do the curtain call for the people in the actual theatre.

Richard was, understandably, a little slower than the others and the staff at the National were eager to tell us all that there would be no autographs. I was pushed out of the way by them as they were eager to get him back to the stage ASAP. However, he saw my drawing and insisted that “as this gentleman has taken the time to draw me I will take the time to sign it for him”. Very kind man.