Tag Archives: Signature

Drawing: Celine Schoenmaker in Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables

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Celinde Schoenmaker

Dutch songstress Celinde Schoenmaker made her West End debut as the fateful Fantine in LES MISERABLES at the Queen’s Theatre in early 2013, continuing until the summer before retuning to her homeland to appear in LOVE STORY. She returned to the barricades to reprise the role of Fantine in June 2014, before taking on the iconic Christine Daae in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Her Majesty’s in it’s 30th Anniversary year. Christine, the chorus girl and the object of obsession, passion and love for the mysterious Phantom was first played by Sarah Brightman in the original 1986 production.

With leading roles in two of the world’s longest running musicals was reason enough to capture Celinde with my 4B pencil. Obviously she doesn’t appear in every performance  and I seemed to pick the ones where she wasn’t, but I eventually caught up with her at the stage door after Saturday’s matinee where she was delighted to sign the drawing for me.

Drawing: Aoife Duffin in A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing

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Aoife Duffin

Annie Ryan’s startling stage adaption of Eimear McBride’s bruising novel A GIRL IS A HALF-FORMED THING arrived at London’s Young Vic last week amid must-see buzz. Premiering at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2014, the unflinching portrait of one girl’s turbulent journey into the adult world was the sellout sensation at the Edinburgh Fringe and is now on a UK and US tour. Aoife Duffin, who plays the ‘girl’, is probably more widely known for her comedic role as Trisha in Chris O’Dowd’s TV sitcom MOONE BOY, has garnered a clutch of acting awards for the acclaimed solo show.

The Guardian, among other mainstream papers gave it 5 stars with The Financial Times calling her 95 minutes on stage “a remarkable performance.”  In a relentless monologue about a young woman, brutalised in puritanical Ireland as she ‘people’s the stage with characters encountered during her short life.’

It’s a thriving busy place in the Young Vic, especially on a Friday, so I didn’t notice Aoife leave after her performance until she was outside the venue and heading past the window. I did my bit for method acting and chased her down the street, adding to her traumatised characterisation experience, but she was happy to sign this montage sketch for me.

Drawing: The End of Longing

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The End of Longing

Matthew Perry’s debut play as a writer, the bittersweet dark comedy, THE END OF LONGING premiered at London’s The Playhouse Theatre last month. Directed by Lindsay Posner, Matthew plays Jack, an alcoholic who falls for the sassy $2,500-an-hour hooker Stephanie (Jennifer Mudge). Together with the neurotic Stevie (Cristina Cole) and thick-but-kindly Joseph (Lloyd Owen) the quartet of lost souls, all approaching their forties, spent a raunchy night in a downtown LA bar searching for meaning.

I managed to get Matthew to sign my sketch last Saturday evening, but it was amongst a huge throng of fans, so I couldn’t get the other three cast members. It was a lot easier last night when only a handful of people were at the stage door as they arrived for the Friday night’s performance.

Drawing: Catrin Stewart in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

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Catrin Stewart

Appropriately named Welsh actress Catrin Stewart is currently playing the ‘cat’, Maggie in Tennessee William’s CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF at the Theatr Clwyd  in northeast Wales. Known to TV viewers for her roles as Emma in the comedy drama STELLA, Jenny Flint in DR WHO and Lily in MISFITS, Catrin was last seen on the London stage as the besotted Anya in Chekhov’s THE CHERRY ORCHARD at the Young Vic in late 2014.

The Telegraph’s Chris Bennion, in his four star review described Catrin’s performance as  Maggie as “…one tin roof absolutely dominated by its Cat. Catrin Stewart is a superb, captivating Maggie, stealing in scenes in which she doesn’t speak. It’s a delightfully nuanced performance, with real depth that manages to catch Maggie the Cat’s frustration, heartbreak, lust, scheming, bitterness, desperation and wit-often with a single sentence.”

I sent this drawing to Catrin at the intimate hillside theatre and she returned it, signed with a kind dedication.

David Essex in The War of the Worlds

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David Essex

British singer-songwriter and actor David Essex played The Artilleryman on the original 1978 concept album of Jeff Wayne’s musical version, THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. The two-record set still remains a best – seller in the UK. He has now returned to the project as The Voice of Humanity in the West End debut of the stage version, which is currently running at The Dominion Theatre, where I caught up with him last Saturday and he signed my sketch.

Drawing: Heidi Range in The War of the Worlds

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Heidi Range

Singer-songwriter Heidi Range is currently making her West End debut in Jeff Wayne’s musical version of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS at the Dominion Theatre. The former Sugababes pop star is playing Parson Nathaniel’s wife Beth in the reimagined stage version of the hit 1978 concept album based on the H.G.Wells novel.

Before she faced the might of the Martians, Heidi had to wade through the usual alien creatures at the stage door before last Saturday’s matinee, including myself and this composite drawing of her as Beth and as a Sugababe.

Drawing: Lazy Susan

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Lazy Susan

What better subject to sketch than a sketch show. Writers-performers Celeste Dring and Freya Parker form the double act LAZY SUSAN, whose EXTREME HUMANS was one of the ‘buzz’ shows at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. They were nominees for the Best Newcomer Award. According to the descriptions on their ‘About’ page, Celeste is the tallest member of the duo and Freya is the shortest. They perform character driven comedy. “Sometimes it gets dark, sometimes it’s just a cowboy and a dog singing a Rihanna song.”

The double act returned to the Soho Theatre in London earlier this month with their second sell-out show, cunningly called DOUBLE ACT and signed my sketch.

Drawing: Emma Williams, Rhiannon Chesterman and Katrina Kleve in Mrs Henderson Presents

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Mrs Henderson Presents

Terry Johnson’s musical stage adaption of the 2005 film MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS that featured Dame Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, premiered at the Theatre Royal Bath last August and has transferred to London’s Noel Coward Theatre.

Olivier winner Tracie Bennett plays the eccentric 70 year-old widow Laura Henderson, who buys turns the London’s famous Windmill cinema into a live theatre, staging continuous variety revues at the beginning of the First World War. When her competition threatens to put her out of business, Mrs Henderson introduced female nudity, which was unprecedented in the UK at the time and based it on the Moulin Rouge in Paris. The Lord Chamberlain reluctantly agreed to the nudity under the condition that the performers remain immobile, thus becoming living works of art, similar to nude statues.

Olivier-nominated Emma Williams, along with Rhiannon Chesterman and Katrina Kleve are the show’s poster girls, perfect sketching subjects. I left this drawing at the theatre for them to sign which they kindly did.

Drawing: Ursula Martinez in Free Admission

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Ursula Martinez

For Ursula Martinez ,”genre doesn’t really hold. Her shows are fairly uncategorisable,” said Matt Trueman in The Guardian. “She is in that sweet spot where comedy, cabaret and theatre intersect.”

The London-based Anglo-Spanish and Olivier Award winning ‘performance provocateur’ and cult cabaret diva has just completed a two-week run at the Soho Theatre of FREE ADMISSION. It grew out of feedback from her previously acclaimed MY STORIES, YOUR EMAILS, incorporating her unique style of self-depreciation, baring her soul and more.

I managed to catch a fully clothed Ursula at the Soho after her final performance on Saturday where she signed this sketch for me.

Drawing: Hand to God

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Hand to God

Described as Sesame Street meets The Exorcist, the irreverent puppet comedy HAND OF GOD took Broadway by storm last year, earning five Tony Nominations, including Best New Play. Robert Askin’s irreligious, satanic hand puppet hit has now transferred to the West End and possessed the Vaudeville Theatre. The London website sums up the plot. One dead father. One messed up family. One girl who wants help. One school bully who always gets his own way. One out of control hand puppet. Recently widowed Margery (Janie Dee) with a penchant for rough sex is encouraged by the randy minister Pastor Greg (Neil Pearson) to run a Christian puppetry workshop-The Christketeers – to spread the gospel in Cypress,Texas. It’s members of which include her son Jason (Harry Melling), the strange girl next door, Jessica (Jemima Rooper) who Jason has a crush on and neighbourhood troublemaker Timmy (Kevin Mains). Enter Tyrone, Jason’s devil-doll that acquires a separate identity turning into a foul-mouthed, unruly sock puppet who believes he’s Satan and takes possession of Jason’s left hand.

“You want the Devil? I’ll give you The Devil”, as his polycotton head spins 360 degrees.

As you could imagine, an interesting collection of characters to meet at the stage door to get my sketch signed. The hand of God had a bit to do with it. This is the second drawing I did. The first succumbed to the elements. A week back,as I was sheltering under some historical edifice and sorting sketches for the impending stalk, a gust of wind transported a few of them into the only muddy puddle within London’s Square Mile. HAND TO GOD was one of them. This replacement was subjected to a few sprinkles on Saturday, as I waited at the Vaudeville. Thankfully the cast were much nicer than the weather and nothing like their stage personae. Harry even left Tyrone in the dressing room and signed with his non-possessed hand. God knows what Tyrone would do with a sharpie!