Tag Archives: Signature

Drawing: The Spoils at The Trafalgar Studios

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The Spoils

Jesse Eisenberg’s third play, THE SPOILS explores the questions of privilege and the value of family and relationships. The off-Broadway transfer to London’s Trafalgar Studios opened this month to critical acclaim. Jesse, Kunal Nayyar and Annapurna Sriram reprised their roles from the original New York production, joined by Londoners, Alfie Allen and Katie Brayben.

Jesse’s breakthrough performance as Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg in the 2010 film THE SOCIAL NETWORK saw him nominated for a Golden Globe, the BAFTA and an Academy Award. Kunal is best known as Raj Koothrappali in the CBS hit BIG BANG THEORY. Last year Forbes listed him as the third highest paid TV actor. Alfie plays Theon Greyjoy in the hugely popular GAME OF THRONES and Katie won the Oliver Award for her betrayal of Carole King in BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL. Brooklyn-based Annapurna was recently seen as host Nicky Tomalin in the sci-fi podcast THE MESSAGE which reached Number 1 on the iTunes Charts.

Jesse signed a sketch for me during rehearsals. This is another drawing of all five cast members, who all arrived at once on Saturday prior to the matinee. It was a bit like London buses, none for a while then five arrived at once, but they kindly took their turn to sign it for me.

Drawing: Bec Hill

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Bec Hill

“I used to think an ocean of soda existed, but it was just a Fanta sea.” Just one of Bec Hill’s zillion one-liners in her show ELLIPSIS, which was a sell-out at the Edinburgh Fringe and at London’s Soho Theatre last year.

The pint-sized Australian born, London based dynamo founded the PUN-RUN with her writing partner Gavin J. Innes, the UK’s only pun-based comedy night. It’s an evening of good old fashioned wordplay that takes place bi-monthly at The Phoenix in London’s Cavendish Square.

“My brother and his friends spend all their time floating out to sea. Well, boys will be buoys.” Another one-liner.

The Scotsman called her “exuberant, daft and inventive.” She calls herself “Comedian. Presenter. Dork.” on her website.

Bec’s cult following in Oz, UK and Ireland is due to her award-winning solo shows, Twitter presence and YouTube videos, including delightful low tech animation. She also hosts Sky’s DC FANCAST and is seen on CBBC’s MY DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK. Bec won a golden toilet seat for the nation’s favourite toilet joke.” For Christmas last year I got given Sudoku toilet paper. It’s useless. You can only fill it with number ones and number twos.”

She returned to the Soho this month with her latest show CAUGHT ON TAPE and signed my sketch, incorporating a toon  from her DINOSAUR vid. She decided to sign with a black sharpie, although obviously she had a few colours to choose from.

Drawing: Chris Lemmon in A Twist Of Lemmon

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Chris Lemmon

I often use the word favourite. That’s because many of the people I draw are favourites or appear in favourite productions. In the words of Julie Andrews, ‘these are a few of my favourite things’, which is easier than saying ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’.

Jack Lemmon was a favourite. Well, he still is. They continue to ‘live’ and the Hollywood legend’s only son, Chris has made sure of that with his autobiographical play, A TWIST OF LEMMON, celebrating his famous father. It’s based on his 2006 book ‘A Twist of Lemmon: A Tribute To My Father.’  The forward is written by Kevin Spacey, who credits Jack with his pursuit of acting. He would say, people who do well in this business have an obligation to send the elevator back down to help lift people starting out on the ground floor.”

Obviously Chris has more than a passing resemblance to his dad with the familiar impish grin and other Lemmonesque mannerisms. It’s  hard to believe it’s Chris and not Jack onstage,” wrote Jordan Young in the LA Examiner.

He bought his solo show to the St James Theatre in London this month.  It’s two hours of stories and anecdotes, a mixture of impersonating his father and being himself, punctuated by jazz standards. “How do you follow in the footsteps of a giant?” he asks the audience as he talks about what it was like to grow up with an internationally loved celebrity and how that impacted on a normal father-son relationship and his own aspirations under the weight of his father’s Oscar-winning heritage.

Described as beautiful, complex and poignant. It’s a touching tribute of a multifaceted yet troubled actor. In her review for British Theatre.Com, Helena Payne wrote, “Lemmon Jr brims with a boundless energy, his story telling is on point. He beautifully portrays Jack as he realises the joy of performing and making people laugh.”

Chris signed this drawing for me at the theatre and wrote me a nice note.

Chris Lemmon Note

Drawing: Kit Harington in War Horse and Doctor Faustus

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Kit Harington

After making his stage debut as Albert in the original cast of WAR HORSE on the Olivier stage at the National Theatre in 2007, Kit Harington auditioned for his first small screen role, landing the part of Jon Snow in the TV phenomenon GAME OF THRONES and galloping to international fame.

Michael Giltz in the Huffington Post wrote, “Kit Harington makes his debut as Albert and I’m not certain if he’s a major new talent or just ideally suited for this particular role, but he’s wonderfully understated as the rough, simple but sweet kid who is devastated to find his dad has sold the horse to the military so he joins up so he can find Joey and bring him home safely.” The production transferred to the New London Theatre in London’s West End in April 2009 with Kit reprising his role until September that year.

He returned to the stage in April to play the over-reaching protagonist in the revival of Christopher Marlowe’s 1594 tragedy DOCTOR FAUSTUS at the Duke of York’s, which is now into its final week.

Kit had previously signed a Faustus sketch for me during early previews, but I was keen to get this one graphed of him as the Doctor and Albert. I managed to find a close enough spot among the quickly growing throng behind the stage door barriers after Saturday’s matinee when Kit does his customary session with the fans and managed to slip it to him through the sea of selfies. He appreciated the sketch particularly the WAR HORSE reference, even taking the time to dedicate it for me.

Drawing: Elizabeth McGovern in Sunset at the Villa Thalia

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Elizabeth McGovern

DOWNTON ABBEY’S  Elizabeth McGovern returned to the London Stage this month in Alexi Kaye Campbell’s new play SUNSET AT THE VILLA THALIA on the Dorfman stage  at the National Theatre. She plays June,  the ‘retsina-sloshing’ alcoholic wife of the enigmatic Harvey, (Ben Miles) a US Government rep during the political turmoil in Greece in 1967. The ‘funny and passionate’ play looks at the effects of Western interventionism on the Greek nation and it’s people. The Times said ‘The play is a winner. Elizabeth McGovern is superbly funny.”

American-born but London-resident for many years, Elizabeth played Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham in the hugely popular TV series DOWNTON ABBEY from 2010 until this year. It’s a role that has earned her a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination and has won the ensemble SAG Award twice. She also received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and a Globe nomination for the 1981 film RAGTIME.

Elizabeth is also an accomplished singer-songwriter. In 2008 she formed the band ‘Sadie and the Hotheads’ which became a regular fixture at the Castle Pub in Lndon’s Portobello Rd.

Fittingly, I left this sketch of her as June in June at the National, and she signed it for me.

Drawing: Nigel Kennedy

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Nigel Kennedy

I was extra pleased and super surprised to get this back in the mail today. I have lingered outside venues in rain and hail for hours to catch one of the world’s violin greats, Nigel Kennedy, to sign my sketch. This creative ‘defacing’ of my profile drawing of him is a welcome and long overdue addition to my collection of famous fiddlers that include Sir Yehudi Menuhin and Stephane Grappelli, who incidently asked the 16 year old Nigel to appear with him at New York’s Carnege Hall. Nigel’s unique appearance, virtuosity and relaxed attitude has made him a popular figure with audiences worldwide.

Nigel has just finished his ‘The New Four Seasons’ UK tour revisiting his version of Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ from the original 1989 recording that sold over 3 million copies and is considered one of the best classical albums of all time.

Music critic Rian Evan’s wrote in his Guardian review of the current gig, “The violinist is still a mass of contradictions, but his skill is still in tact and the sound compelling”

His final tour venue was G Live in Guildford. I thought that sounded like a place that would pass on my drawing to Nigel to sign and return. I was right.

Drawing: John Newcombe

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John Newcombe

I’m not sure when I drew this caricature of Australian tennis legend John Newcombe. I think it was sometime in the 1990s when he was an Australian Open commentator at Melbourne Park. Somehow I managed to get it to him. I don’t do many caricatures for signing these days. It was my modus operandi back then and surprisingly got most of them signed. I didn’t resort to vicious renderings, preferring a softer approach with a comical likeness in order to get the work ‘graphed. I liked to use a fine line 0.05 black felt pen and board cross-hatch style with big heads, small bodies and extended necks… where appropriate.

For the record John won seven Grand Slam singles titles including three Wimbledons and secured an all-time record 17 doubles victories. He was World Number 1 in both singles and doubles. Rod Laver is the only other player to have won the US Open and Wimbledon as an amateur and a professional.

As a bit of trivia, given that the US Presidential elections are upon us, it was revealed during the 2000 campaign that John was George W Bush’s drinking companion in September 1976 when the future President was charged with driving under the influence.

Drawing: Emmi Christensson as Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera

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Emmi Christensson

On Friday, Swedish soprano Emmi Christensson played Christine Daae for the final time in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. Emmi has been the alternate Christine since July 2014 but she now returns to her homeland to play the lead in Stockholm starting in September. But I managed to get her to sign my sketch before she headed back to Scandinavia.

Drawing: Marisa Berenson as Lady Capulet

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Marisa Berenson Lady Capulet

When Marisa Berenson signed my portrait sketch a couple of weeks ago I promised to return with a drawing of her as Lady Capulet-her role in the Kenneth Branagh Company’s ROMEO AND JULIET which is currently running at the Garrick Theatre in London.

Gracing the cover of every magazine during the seventies Marisa was one of the world’s most in-demand and highest paid models. Now, in her sixties she makes her West End debut as Juliet’s mother,not a model parent. The detached and superficial Lady Capulet’s relationship with her daughter is not a close one and Marisa’s portrayal was described by Quentin Letts as “nicely stiff appearance” in the Daily Mail.

I caught up with the very engaging Marisa at the Garrick stage door on Friday afternoon as she arrived for the evening performance and she was happy to sign this sketch for me as well.

Drawing: Derek Jacobi as Mercutio and Malvolio

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Derek Jacobi

“Act my age – not a chance,” said Sir Derek Jacobi, who at 77 wasn’t expecting to play Romeo’s swashbuckling pal Mercutio in Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET. Kenneth Branagh had other ideas. Thirty years after he first directed the Bard’s tragic romance, Sir Kenneth  wanted to revisit a ‘more mature Mercutio’ so he and co-director Rob Ashford cast the distinguished thesp as more of a ‘fatherly figure’ in the latest revival as part of Plays At The Garrick season. Sir Derek wasn’t fazed about the fighting scenes. “I’ve smashed a few buckles in my time,” he said. If he can survive sword fighting  Peter O’Toole in HAMLET he can survive anything he added.

For a large proportion of his 77 years, Sir Derek has been associated with Shakespeare. A quick kaleidoscope of his Bard times includes appearing as Chorus in Kenneth Branagh’s 1989 film HENRY V, winning the Tony in 1984 for MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and playing the main antagonist Malvolio in TWELFTH NIGHT at Wyndham’s Theatre seven years ago, winning his second Olivier Award in the process. He also collected an Emmy Award in 2001 for his guest appearance in the TV sitcom FRASIER, mocking his Shakespearian background as the worst actor in the world, the  hammy, loud and untalented Jackson Hedley.

Sir Derek signed this sketch of him as Malvolio and Mercutio this week at the Garrick stage door.