Tag Archives: Signature

Drawing: Lily Cole in The Last Days of Troy

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lily cole

Former supermodel and actress Lily Cole, “excels while making her stage acting debut in Simon Armitage’s stylish The Last Days of Troy“, wrote Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph.

Staged last summer at Shakespeare’s Globe, following a run at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, it has been described by some as a a “highlights package” of Greek history.

The Last Day’s of Troy completes Homer’s Iliad with award winning poet and author Simon Armitages dramatisation, bringing the war to a brutal conclusion. It combined the essentials of Homer’s Iliad, bits from his Odyssey and elements from Virgil’s Aeneid.

Lily played Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world according to Greek myth. While technically not her stage debut, it was her first conventional production.  She previously appeared in the Old Vic’s annual 24 Hour Plays Celebrity Galas in which a group of high profile performers work with writers and directors to create a line up of new plays in just 24 hours.

“The former model, now a humanitarian campaigner is suitably enigmatic. Cole’s performance is deliberately restrained as she glides around the stage in an almost ghostly fashion… her gracious movement and distant stare are just what’s required,” wrote Henery Hitchings in the Evening Standard.

Some in the autograph game have found the same demeanour off stage, but I’ve always found Lily to be pleasant and accommodating on the few occasions I have met her. There’s a big difference between ‘racking’ her with 20 8x10s and asking her to sign a theatre sketch.

Drawing: Juliette Binoche in Antigone at The Barbican

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juitette b antigone

French screen star Juliette Binoche returned to London’s Barbican Theatre in the new English language translation  by prize-winning Canadian poet Anne Carson of Sophocles’ Greek tragedy ANTIGONE, directed by internationally renowned Belgian theatre director Ivo van Hove.

Juliette first appeared at the Barbican in 2012 in MADEMOISELLE JULIE, an updated version of August Strindberg’s MISS JULIE. She made her London stage debut in 1998 with the production of Luigi Pirandello’s NAKED at the Almeida Theatre. In 2000 she appeared in Harold Pinter’s BETRAYAL on Broadway, earning a Tony award nomination. Eight years later she performed on the National theatre stage in the collaborative piece IN-I with Akram Khan.

Juliette is always a good signer. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the Curzon Cinema Mayfair a few years ago and she was a delight and signed a quick portrait sketch for me. This ANTIGONE study was left at the theatre for her and it came back signed and dedicated. Merci beaucoup Juliette!

Drawing: Juliette Burton in Look At Me at the Leicester Square Theatre

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Juliette Burton

Award-winning performer and writer Juliette Burton’s solo show LOOK AT ME is an uplifting docu-comedy celebrating body confidence and beauty diversity. It received 5 star reviews from the national press at last years Edinburgh Fringe Festival, following on from her acclaimed debut show WHEN I GROW UP in 2013.The publicity blurb stated that ‘Juliette’s appearance has changed over the years-she’s been a size 4 and a size 20 and just about everything in between”. As an ex-BBC broadcast journalist before switching to comedy,her material is based on exhaustive research. The show incorporates footage of Juliette walking around London in various disguises, including a man, an obese person, an elderly person, dressed-up in alluring attire and in a hijab to test how appearance changes perceptions. Can changing our outsides change who we are on the inside? Is what we appear to be who we really are?

‘Perception is a funny thing…and ‘funny’ is a strange thing to perceive”, wrote Juliette. “As a comedy writer and performer I like making fun of things that I feel angered or frightened by”.

Fellow comedian and comedy writer Mathilda Gregory reviewed the show for the Edinburgh Fringe Guru website and said, “This show succeeds ( and oh, it does succeed) on Burton’s infectious charm. Her performance is totally delightful. I didn’t want to say goodbye to her at the end of the show and it’s her charm, alongside her brutal honesty in revealing her own body battles that make this  show truly remarkable”.

Juliette works closely with a number of organisations, including the facial disfigurement charity Changing Faces,the body image group B.O.D.Y,the eating disorder charity B-eat and she is a spokesperson for the Be Real-Body Confidence for Everyone campaign.

LOOK AT ME  ran for two nights last week at the Leicester Square Theatre in London, where I left this drawing, which Juliette returned, signed and inscribed. She’s appearing at various places around the UK, so go  ‘look at her’ at a venue near you.

 

Sketch: Nick Kyrgios

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Nick

Twenty year old Australian and world number 28 Nick Kyrgios is one of the rising stars of men’s tennis. He stunned Wimbledon last year beating the then world number one Rafa Nadal, reaching the quarter finals at SW19. I was there that day and did a quick sketch, left it at the players’ entrance, not thinking it would be returned, though it was (and signed).

This year’s grass court season is well underway and I met Nick after his practice session at the Queen’s Club last Saturday… As you would expect, he was very popular, not least with the kids and their sharpie ruining large tennis balls.

I gave him my pen to sign this sketch, when one spectator remarked, “oh, it looks like Pavarotti signing!”. NOT helpful, unless of course Nick’s a big Pavarotti fan. Either way, he liked it and signed.

Drawing: Ian Rickson and Jez Butterworth

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Ian Rickson Jez Butterworth

Playwright Jez Butterworth and director Ian Rickson have formed a formidable team and are considered one of contemporary British theatre’s great collaborators. Jez’s debut play, Mojo, the black gangster comedy set in a Soho nightclub in the 1950s, premiered at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 1995, directed by Ian Rickson who became the resident artistic director from 1998 – 2006, replacing Stephen Daldry.

They have been friends and collaborators ever since, with Ian directing all of Jez’s plays. That includes the smash hit Jerusalem, that was a runaway success at the Court, on West End and Broadway.

Eighteen years later Ian directed a revival of Mojo at the Harold Pinter Theatre, featuring an all star cast, including Ben Whishaw, Daniel Mays and Rupert Grint.

I love Jez’s writing and am a huge fan of Ian’s direction. They are both very likeable chaps; always engaging and obliging.

I drew this sketch of Ian and Jez in rehearsals for Mojo, hoping to get both to sign it on press night in November 2013. I managed to get Jez, but couldn’t find Ian, so figured he’d be around through the season. Whenever our paths did cross over the next two years, I didn’t have the sketch on me.

It wasn’t until press night of his most recent play The Red Lion at the National’s Dorfman Stage last week that I had a chance. I had to politely excuse myself at the official gathering in the foyer after the performance. He was his usual friendly self, liked the sketch and happily signed it.

Drawing: Anna Netrebko in La Bohème

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anna netrebko

Several of the world’s greatest opera stars returned to the Royal Opera House to bid farewell to the final staging of John Copley’s La Bohème, notably Russian soprano Anna Netrebko as Mimi and Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja as her lover Rodolfo. Puccini’s weepie has had 26 revivals and well over 200 sold out performances.

It’s one of the most popular classics and the Royal Opera’s best loved staging, regularly revived since its opening night in 1974 and now for the last time. Anna and Joseph’s final performance was televised as part of ROH’s Live Cinema season to selected locations across the UK, on 10 June. I actually saw part of it on the big screen at Trafalgar Square – the affecting duet in Act 3 between Anna and Joseph.

The Telegraph’s Rupert Christiansen wrote in his four star review “star casting gives a fitting farewell to John Copley’s 40 year production”.

“Calleja is passionate, lyrical, beautifully impassive. Netrebko sounds glorious and acts with detailed naturalism that can be startlingly effective,” wrote Tim Ashley in The Guardian.

I left a drawing at the ROH stage door for Anna to sign on her final night and it came back, written in gold ink… nice touch.

Drawing: Hugo Weaving in Waiting For Godot at the Barbican

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Hugo Weaving

This is a sketch of Hugo Weaving as Vladimir in WAITING FOR GODOT. It’s one of two drawings I did last week based on the Sydney Theatre Company’s production that had a short season at the Barbican in London. The other sketch was a montage of all four cast members, including Richard Roxburgh, Philip Quast and Luke Mullins, which they all signed for me earlier in the run. Hugo had graphed ‘hugo w’, which was more personal, but I thought on this one I would like a full ‘hugo weaving’ (he likes his lower case letters). Collectors like to have exemplars of all autograph variations.

After the final performance last Saturday evening, it was way past 11 before the cast emerged intent on climbing into cars, to whisk them to the after-party. A large group of hunters and collectors… and the obligotary dealers (which I place in the former category) were waiting. Hugo was the last to appear and he signed a few LOTR books and stills, as his PA announced that he was in a hurry and couldn’t sign. This caused a panic amongst the hunters who swarmed on the target with the likelihood of me getting anything, let alone a full ‘hugo weaving’ diminishing by the milisecond. however he saw the sketch, took my pen-not my trusty sharpie, but a new Pentel fine point- which I’ve discovered is excellent for signing the drawings on the sketch paper-and signed ‘hugo w’. Since he still had my pen, signing a few items as the official  hurridly escorted him to the waiting vehicle, I tried to get the ‘eaving’ after the ‘w’, but to no avail. So I have two ‘personal’ graphed GODOT sketches…no ‘eaving’ and no Pentel fine point pen. It must be an Australian thing, I thought, walking to the tube station holding the cap.they like to collect collectors pens minus their caps. Previously I had the same experience, on more than one occasion with Aussie tennis ace Lleyton Hewitt, the subject of another blog you may care to read for reference.

Drawing: Rich Hall

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Rich Hall

A master of a absurdist irony and rapid-fire wit, American comedian and musician Rich Hall mosied into London town last week and set up his stable at the Leicester Square Theatre for a few nights with his virtuoso musical mates.

Nearing the end of a UK Tour, Rich Hall’s Hoedown was described as a, “mash up of music, comedy and gratuitous coloration”.

This coincided with his other ‘West End’ show, 3:10 to Humour, which Rich performed during the month at various venues. Time Out’s description was “a mix of music, comedy, liquor and spent dreams with Richa Hall and his talented band. Tremendous fun”.

The Sun has called him “a comedy phenomenon”. Winner of the 2000 Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in the guise of his own uncle and red neck alter ego, Otis Lee Crenshaw, a much convicted comedy music singer.

Rich is well known for his TV and radio work, in shows such as QI, Live at the Apollo and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. When not in the UK, Rich goes back to his Montana ranch to write documentaries for BBC4.

With perfect timing, I came out of Leicester Square Station, walked the short distance to the theatre and who should be coming in the other direction? Yes, the man himself. He stopped for the obligatory selfie with a couple, then looked at my sketch and said, “you drew that? Jeez!”. Guilty. I assumed he liked it because he signed it and thanked me.

Drawing: Lleyton Hewitt

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Lleyton Hewitt

Better Lleyton than never.

This could be a long one. I’ll try and be brief. It’s taken a long time to get this sketch of Aussie tennis icon Lleyton Hewitt signed… well not this sketch exactly. This is not the only one I’ve drawn, but it could be the last. Many summers, and sharpies ago he was coming off the practice court at his home Slam -The Australian Open in Melbourne. I positioned myself on the left flank of the adoring and moving masses following him back to the locker room. I kept up with the pace parallel to Lleyton, who was signing all and sundry and a high fence on the other side as we formed a triangle. Eventually we reached the apex, just before the gate; me, Lleyton and a security person. I handed Lleyton my sharpie and positioned the sketch, the security person intervened. No sig. No sharpie. Ruined sketch. Cap and drawing in bin.

A few seasons later at the Queen’s Tennis Club in London, I was amongst a smaller throng, but nevertheless with the same degree of difficulty. This time it was kids with those large tennis balls… large, fluffy tennis balls, that destroy the felt tips on sharpies. With a new sketch and renewed hope I handed him my sharpie, which he proceeded to use on all the fluffy balls first. Then an official quickly whisked him away for media commitments, still holding my pen. No sig. No sharpie. Still had sketch (which got rained on later and binned).

A couple of years ago on the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon Lleyton finished his match on Court 12 and was making  the lengthy trek back to the players’ changing rooms, followed by a gazillion big-fluffy-balled kids. I just managed to get behind him with a fresh drawing, when he passed the sharpie he had be using to me over his shoulder and accelerated. No sig. One returned, but stuffed sharpie. One unsigned sketch.

On Saturday it was practice day for the Aegon Championships at Queens. Lleyton, a four-time winner of the event was a wildcard entry, making his final appearance before retiring at next years Aussie Open.The big fluffy-balled kids were there as well, among others. Lleyton came off the court, responded to our calls, took my pen-not a sharpie, but a N805 Pentel marker, (a much more robust pen for textured surfaces) and signed all the big fluffy balls plus a few other items before finally signing my sketch… and returning my pen, with a smile. One sig on sketch. One returned pen. Better Lleyton than never.

 

 

Drawing: David Baddiel in Fame: Not the Musical

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david baddiel

Based on our celebrity-obsessed age, British comedian and writer David Baddiel’s solo show Fame: Not The Musical is a two hour show on the perks and perils of fame at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory last summer.

He charts celebrity’s daily experience in what The Guardian’s Brian Logan called the “unglamorous no man’s land between name-in-the-lights self-fulfilment and rabbit-caught-in-the-headlights self-destruction”.

After a 15 year absence from stand up David was tempted back by the absurdity of fame. The show stared life at the Soho Theatre as a ‘work-in-progress’ in March 2013, before taking it to the Edinburgh Fringe, various other venues and ending up at the Menier.

“Stand up is a frightening thing to do if you don’t do it for a long time, but the more you do it, the less you feel the fear” he said.

I met David last week when he returned to the Soho for a four date residency in the upstairs stage with some more intimate work-in-progress material. I said to him, “one of the absurdities of being famous is that people recognise you, draw you and ask you to sign it.” He laughed and said “obviously” and happily complied with my request. I’m not sure if it was a perk or a peril of the fame game.