Drawing: Lindsay Davenport

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

lindsay davenport

American tennis ace Lindsay Davenport was the World Number 1 on eight occasions for a total of 98 weeks. In a career that spanned 17 years from 1993-2010 she won 55 singles and 38 doubles titles. Her singles victories have her tied with Virginia Wade as the seventh best in the open era. Lindsay’s Grand Slam singles success came in a tight three-year span, winning the US Open in 1998, Wimbledon the following year and then the Australian Open in 2000. Her doubles success was similar, the French Open in 1996, the US in 1997 and then Wimbledon in 1999. While not winning the Australian title, she was a finalist on six occasions. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics she won the singles Gold Medal.

Lindsay was known as a powerful baseliner. She built her game on a crushing forehand and superb court placement. Her two-handle backhand was also a handy weapon.

I caught up with the genial American at this year’s Wimbledon, where she was working on commentary for the BBC and signed my sketch outside the media centre after completing a stint on centre court.

Drawing: Zoe Rainey in Romeo and Juliet

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

zoe rainey

Northern Irish actress Zoe Rainey is appearing in her second Shakespearian production of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’s season of Plays at the Garrick, playing Romeo’s mum, Lady Montague in ROMEO AND JULIET. Earlier this year she played Emilia in the tragicomedy THE WINTER’S TALE. Prior to that Zoe had worked with Kenneth in the live action remake of Disney’s CINDERELLA and will be seen next year in another live action adaption of an animated classic, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, also playing a maternal role, this time Belle’s mother. Her extensive stage career includes WICKED at the Apollo, GUYS AND DOLLS and PARADE at the Donmar Warehouse and the World Premiere of FINDING NEVERLAND at the Leicester Curve.

Zoe signed this sketch leaving the Garrick after an evening performance of R&J last week.

Drawing: Trevor Dion Nicholas, Dean John-Wilson and Jade Ewen in Aladdin

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

aladdin

The stage adaption of Disney’s 1992 animated film ALADDIN transferred from Broadway to London’s West End at Soho’s Prince Edward Theatre last month. Joining British stars Dean John-Wilson as Aladdin and Jade Ewen as Jasmine was Trevor Dion Nicholas from the New York production as the Genie.

The musical premiered in Seattle in 2011 before opening on Broadway in March 2014 at the New Amsterdam Theatre where it still continues. It was nominated for five Tony Awards.

I left this drawing of the three leads at the theatre with one wish and it was granted… I mean graphed.

Drawing: Joss Stone

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Joss Stone

The 29-year-old soul-infused British songstress Joscelyn Eve Stoker, better known by her stage name Joss Stone was Burt Bacahrach’s special guest at last night’s one-off concert in London’s Royal Festival Hall. In his five-star review for the Evening Standard, Andre Paine wrote, “There may be an age difference of six decades, but the pairing of 88 year-old songwriter Burt Bacharach and a supremely soulful Joss Stone was an outstanding success. Stone’s knockout voice was tough and tender and Bacharach seemed beguiled as he played the grand piano.”

Described as a mix of R&B, reggae and blue-eyed soul, Joss has won two Brit Awards and a Grammy. She rose to fame with her 2003 debut, multi-platinum album ‘The Soul Sessions’ followed by the equally successful ‘Mind,Body & Soul’ which topped the UK charts. The album’s lead single ‘You Had Me’ was Grammy-nominated and reached the Top 10 Singles chart in 2004.

I met Joss when she arrived at the Royal Festival Hall and she a bit of fun with the sharpie signing my sketch.

Drawing: Burt Bacharach

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Burt Bacharach

I finally got to meet one of my musical heroes yesterday, the beyond legendary Burt Bacharach. Still going strong at 88, the man described as the greatest songwriter of the 20th century was performing at London’s Royal Festival Hall. After his Liverpool concert last week, one reviewer wrote, “Good performers receive a standing ovation at the end of their performance… Burt Bacharach walked ON to one.” Another said “while the master of easy listening is knocking on a bit, his music is timeless.” In collaboration with lyricist Hal David they produced some of the most memorable tunes of all time.

Burt’s distinctive music is characterised by unusual chord progressions, influenced by his jazz background, with syncopated rhythmic patterns, irregular phasing, frequent modulation and odd, changing meters – “non-symmetrical phasing,” as Burt calls it. Most pop songs follow a predictable pattern in either a 4/4 or 3/4 time, but Burt uses more complex time signatures. Frank Sinatra once joked that Burt Bacharach writes in hat sizes – seven and three-fourths.

Many moons ago, in New Zealand I sent a portrait drawing to Burt and he signed and returned it for me. This time I was determined to get my sketch signed in person. After a four hour wait at the Royal Festival Hall artists’ entrance (that’s the RFH’s fancy name for stage door), Burt finally arrived for the sound check and was happy to graph it for me.

Drawing: Alize Cornet at Wimbledon

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

alize cornet

At Wimbledon in 2014 I watched 25th seed Alizé Cornet come from a set down to beat five-time Champion and World No 1 Serena Williams, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a dramatic, rain-interrupted, third round encounter on Court One that had everything, including thunder and lightening. It was her best result at SW19 and no fluke. In fact that year the twenty-six year old Frenchwoman managed three victories over the 21 time Grand Slam winner. She was beaten in the next match by Eugenie Bouchard, but got her revenge over the Canadian earlier this year to win the Hobart International, her fifth WTA title. In 2009 she was ranked as high as No 11, but is currently at 61.

I did this sketch of Alizé or ‘Allleeezzzzzee!’ as her supporting French fans call out, after her wonderful Wimbledon win and managed to catch up with her at The Championships on Thursday after she and her doubles partner Xena Knoll won their opening match. Earlier that day she had defeated Sarah Errani to advance to the third round, so it would be fair to say she was in a buoyant mood and happily signed the drawing.

Drawing: Michael Crawford in The Phantom of the Opera

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Michael Crawford Phantom

The legendary screen and stage actor Michael Crawford has returned to the West End in the musical adaption of LP Hartley’s novel THE GO-BETWEEN. He plays the elderly Leo Colson who looks back to the summer of 1900 when, as a boy he acted as a go-between in a secret love affair.

Michael has kindly signed drawings for me in the past and has also accompanied the renderings with complimentary letters. I realised I hadn’t drawn him as the Phantom, the role he originated and that catapulted him into the stratosphere when Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA premiered in London in 1986. Michael was not the original choice to play the sinister figure who haunts a Parisian theatre. When Lord Webber and his wife Sarah Brightman (the original Christine) arrived early at her vocal coach’s studio. While they were waiting, they heard Michael singing a piece from Handel’s ATALANTA in another room. He subsequently auditioned for PHANTOM and was hired on the spot.

Michael’s rich baritone voice hypnotised audiences in 1,300 performances over three years in London, Broadway and Los Angeles, winning both the Olivier and Tony Awards. It set the benchmark for all who have played the masked recluse since.

I left this drawing at the Apollo last week, which he signed it for me. THE GO-BETWEEN runs until October.

Drawing: Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon and The Father

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Frank Langella

Frank Langella has won four Tony Awards. His latest was for his role as Andre in Florian Zeller’s THE FATHER this year. He played Richard Nixon, the only US President to resign the office in Peter Morgan’s FROST/NIXON at London’s Donmar Warehouse and the Gielgud before transferring to Broadway’s Bernard B Jacobs Theatre in April 2007, winning his third Tony. He reprised the role in the film version the following year, earning Oscar, Globe,SAG and BAFTA Award nominations.

I sent Frank this sketch of him in both roles while he was in THE FATHER at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre last month and he signed it with his unique abbreviated initials graph.

Drawing: Michael Brandon and Cherie Lunghi in Off The Kings Road

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Michael Brandon Cherie Lunghi

Top Hollywood publicist, manager and producer Neil Koenigsberg’s debut play, the bittersweet comedy drama OFF THE KINGS ROAD transferred to London’s Jermyn Street Theatre this month after successful runs in New York and Los Angeles. Michael Brandon plays Matt Browne, a recent widower, who takes a week’s respite in his favourite city, London, in a small hotel off the King’s Road. His stay turns into a voyage of self-discovery with a number of unplanned encounters, including a Russian prostitute and her jealous boyfriend. WestEnd Wilma described it as ‘an intelligent little gem.’

A unique part of the production is the e-appearance of Oscar winner Jeff Bridges as Matt’s LA-based psychologist Dr Kozlowski via Skype in three short segments.

Cheri Lunghi makes a delightful cameo as the nosey hotel resident and cat lover Ellen.
I left this sketch of Michael and Cheri at the theatre on the final day and it came back today signed and dedicated.

Drawing: Joseph Fiennes in Ross

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The play ROSS is Terence Rattigan’s bio-drama about English archaeologist, military genius and diplomat T. E. Lawrence. It is bookended with a framing device when Lawrence was hiding under an assumed name as ‘Aircraftman Ross’ in the Royal Air Force in 1922, before flashing back six years under a malaria-induced fever dream to his involvement as a liaison officer in the Arab Revolt against the Turks where he became known internationally as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.

It premiered in 1960 at London’s Theatre Royal, Haymarket with Alec Guinness in the title role, who went on to portray Prince Feisal in the Oscar-winning David Lean epic LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, Steven Spielberg’s favourite film and his inspiration to become a filmmaker.

To mark the centenary of the outbreak of the Arabian Revolt, the Chichester Festival Theatre staged a rare revival of ROSS this month, directed by Adrian Noble and featuring Joseph Fiennes, who returned to the stage after seven years to play the British hero, in what many critics called a tour de force, capturing Lawrence’s troubled spirit. Michael Billington in the Guardian wrote, “Fiennes gives an accomplished performance in an elegantly mounted production.”

I sent this sketch of J.F. as T.E. to him at the theatre for signing and he graciously did so.