Drawing: Kaitlyn Dever

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of actress Kaitlyn Dever

At 23 years of age, American actress Kaitlyn Dever’s career has already past a decade, with 15 films and ten TV shows on her impressive CV, resulting in eight Award nominations, including a Golden Globe and the BAFTA Rising Star Award. Starting in 2009 with her first notable role as Gwen Thompson, a homeless girl in AN AMERICAN GIRL: CHRISSA STANDS STRONG. Two years later she appeared in the Clint Eastwood-directed J.EDGAR.

Three films in the past two years has cemented her reputation as one to watch, playing Lauren in the biographical drama BEAUTIFUL BOY with Timothee Chalamet in 2018, followed by Dilly Picket in the thriller THEM THAT FOLLOW opposite Oscar-winner Olivia Coleman and Amy Antsler in the coming-of-age comedy BOOKSMART last year. Kaitlyn’s small screen successes include her recurring role as no-nonsense teen Loretta McCready in JUSTIFIED between 2011-2015 and as Tim Allen’s daughter Eve Baxter in LAST MAN STANDING since 2011. Last year she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of sexual assault victim Marie Adler in the Netflix miniseries UNBELIEVABLE.

Kaitlyn signed my sketch at a British Academy event involving the nominees for the Rising Star Award at London’s Savoy Hotel, the day before this year’s BAFTA ceremony in early February.

Drawing: John Williams, Executive Chef at The Ritz London

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Chef John Williams

As the ever enthusiastic gastronaut I was watching the first episode of the ITV’s mini-series INSIDE THE RITZ HOTEL one lazy Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago. It featured the famous Piccadilly Hotel’s venerable Executive Chief John Williams and the launch of The Ritz’s first ever cookbook, compiled by him and containing its most famous signature recipes, including the Roast Scallops Bergamot and Avocado, the Saddle of Lamb Belle Époque and the Grand Marnier Soufflé. The recipes are said to be ‘simple to the seasonal, to the signature and the sublime.’

I thought he would make a great addition to my collection, drawing this quick sketch, I posted it to him for signing. South Shields-born, on England’s North East coast and the son of a Tyneside fisherman, John’s culinary career began peeling spud’s in his mum’s kitchen. He moved to London at the age of 16 and after working at the Royal Garden, Claridges and The Berkeley Hotels he arrived at The Ritz in 2004 as the Executive Chef. Seen by many as the symbol of high society and luxury it is described as one of the best dining experiences you’ll ever have or in my case ever wish to have.

The fortunate diner is spoiled for choice with The Ritz Restaurant, which was awarded it’s first Michelin Star in 2017, the iconic Palm Court, the legendary Rivoli Bar, six private dining suites not to mention room service. It is the recipient of a Royal Warrant for Banqueting and Catering Services from HRH The Prince of Wales-the first and only Hotel to receive the prestigious accolade.

John himself has been personally recognised with numerous awards, including the Pierre Taittinger International prize, known as the ‘Everest of Gastronomy’ and the Craft Guild of Chefs Award in 2000. In 2005 he was the first British Chef to be conferred with the CMA by the French Government for his contribution to French cuisine. He was made a Member of the British Empire in 2008.

His favourite dish? The lobster with lemon verbena, which has had a few variations over the years. It used to be accompanied by a spiced carrot purée, but now it’s served with a vegetable tagliatelle.

As you can see John kindly signed and returned my drawing.

Drawing: Stephen Schwartz

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of composer Stephen Schwartz

I had the good fortune to meet one of the great contemporary composers and lyricists last night at the West End opening for his new musical THE PRINCE OF EGYPT at London’s Dominion Theatre. Winner of three Academy Awards, three Grammys, and nominated for six Tony Awards and an Olivier, Stephen Schwartz added ten new songs to the original five he wrote for the original 1998 DreamWorks Animation feature for the stage adaption, which is directed by his son Scott. He won the Best Original Song Oscar for ‘When We Believe’.

Stephen made his name with GODSPELL in 1971, his hippy-era, communal-clownish presentation of Christ’s parables and now returns to the Good Book with the story of Moses as a once prince of Egypt who leads the children of Israel out of Egypt. It debuted at Mountain View Centre for the Performing Arts in Silicon Valley, California in October 2017 and had its international premiere at The Fredericia Theatre in Denmark in April 2018, followed by a summer season at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen last year.

Stephen’s stage hits include PIPPIN (1972) and WICKED (2003) and his film successes GODSPELL (1973), POCAHONTAS (1995), THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1996) He won a Golden Globe, a Grammy and two Oscars for Original Score and Original Song (‘Colours of the Wind’) for POCAHONTAS.

In 2015 he was the recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award.
Luckily I caught Stephen after he did his press interviews at the Dominion Theatre, where he was happy to sign my portrait sketch.

Drawing: George MacKay

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of actor George MacKay

Since being nominated for BAFTA’s Rising Star Award in 2014, London-born actor George MacKay’s star has certainly been on the rise. He is currently dominating the big screen in one of the best and most decorated pictures of the year, the Sir Sam Mendes directed, co-written ( with Krysty Wilson-Cairns) and produced WW1 epic, 1917. George plays the lead character, Lance Corporal William Schofield, who along with fellow Lance Corporal Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission, to cross no man’s land to deliver a warning to the commanding officer of the Second Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment to call of an attack that will jeopardise the lives of 1,600 men, including Tom’s brother.

Sir Sam based the screenplay on a ‘fragment’ of a story, told to him as a child by his grandfather Alfred Mendes, a native of Trinidad, who was a messenger for the British on the Western Front. At its core it is “the story of a messenger, who has a message to carry”, said Sir Sam. George’s ‘messenger’ very rarely leaves the screen, because of the decision to film and edit the picture to appear as one take – actually two takes, split with a blackout at the midpoint when he is knocked unconscious – he is almost continuously on screen for the entire two hours of the film. 1917 was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning three and nine BAFTAs, winning seven including Best Picture.

It’s not the first war film George has starred in. He was Private Tommo Peaceful in the 2012 adaption of Michael Morpurgo’s PRIVATE PEACEFUL and Lutz, the son of a high-ranking SS officer in Nazi Germany in the rite-of-passage war drama WHERE HANDS TOUCH in 2018. In 2013 he won a Scottish BAFTA for his portrayal of Aaron, an ostracised misfit and sole survivor of a strange fishing accident in FOR THOSE IN PERIL. Other prominent roles included playing Viggo Mortensen’s son, Bodevan Cash in CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016), earning a Screen Actors Guild nomination as part of the cast. George won the Trophee Chopard last year at the Cannes Film Festival. His next film role is the outlaw Ned Kelly in Justin Kurzel’s TRUE HISTORY OF THE NED KELLY GANG with Russell Crowe, due for release in the UK at the end of February and the US in April.

He has also walked the boards in the West End, most recently as Mick in the Old Vic’s production of Harold Pinter’s THE CARETAKER (2016), opposite Timothy Spall and Daniel Mays.

George signed my sketch for me at the Corinthia Hotel in London as he was leaving to attend the BAFTA Awards earlier this month.

Drawing: Sara Bareilles in Waitress

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of Sara Bareilles in Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre on London's West End

In 2015 Sara Bareilles wrote the music and the lyrics for her hit musical WAITRESS, which opened on Broadway a year later at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Based on Adrienne Selly’s 2007 film of the same name, it tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a pregnant, pie-baking waitress in an abusive relationship with her husband, earning Sara a Tony and Grammy Award nomination. Last year it transferred to London’s Adelphi Theatre where Sara made her West End debut at the end of January this year, stepping into the title role for a six-week run, alongside Olivier and Tony winner Gavin Creel as Dr. Jim Pomatter, after both played their respective roles in the Broadway production last year.

Sara has sold over a million albums and five million singles, receiving eight Grammy Award nominations, eventually winning for her song ‘Saint Honesty’ last year.

Her portrayal as Mary Magdalene in NBC’s live TV adaption of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in 2018, earned her critical acclaim and a Primetime Emmy nomination.

Sara signed my portrait at the Adelphi Theatre’s stage door after her first Saturday evening performance.

Drawing: Thelma Schoonmaker

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of editor Thelma Schoonmaker

I had the absolute privilege of meeting the legendary editor, Thelma Schoonmaker when she visited London earlier this month for the BAFTA Awards, receiving her eighth nomination for her cutting of Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN. It’s one of Hollywood’s greatest collaborations, working with Marty for over fifty years, since their first film in WHO’S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR, in 1967, after meeting on a six-week film-making course at New York University.

She made an uncredited contribution to TAXI DRIVER (1976) and has edited all his films after that, including RAGING BULL (1980), THE AVIATOR (2004) and THE DEPARTED (2006), winning an Academy Award for each. She is tied with Michael Kahn with the most nominations (8) for Best Editing in the Academy’s history.

Thelma along with Michael, Daniel Mandell and Ralph Dawson are the only people to win the Oscar on three occasions. She won the BAFTA for GOODFELLAS in 1992 and received the Fellowship last year. Asked how a nice lady like her could edit Martin’s violent gangster pictures, Thelma replied, “Ah, but they aren’t violent until I edit them.”

Thelma signed my quick portrait sketch as she was leaving the Corinthia Hotel for the BAFTA Award ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall.

Drawing: Sandy Powell

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autgraphed drawing of costume designer Sandy Powell

It’s BAFTA-Oscar week, and one of the awards’ season favourites is British costume designer extraordinaire Sandy Powell, who once again is nominated for both, for her work on the epic crime drama THE IRISHMAN, continuing her collaboration with Martin Scorsese after previously working on THE AVIATOR and GANGS OF NEW YORK.

Sandy has now received 15 nominations for both prestigious prizes, winning three each. Her Oscars were for SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1998), THE AVIATOR (2004) and THE YOUNG VICTORIA (2009) and BAFTAs for VELVET GOLDMINE (1998), THE YOUNG VICTORIA (2009) and THE FAVOURITE (2018). She has received dual Oscar noms twice, in 1999 for SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE and VELVET GOLDMINE and again in 2016 for CINDERELLA and CAROL. On three occasions she has had BAFTA doubles, replicating her Academy success plus last year for THE FAVOURITE and MARY POPPINS RETURNS.

In an interview with the Guardian, when asked who would play her in a biopic, Sandy suggested Eddie Izzard. She was honoured by the London Film Critics’ Circle last week with the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence her career achievements in film at London’s May Fair Hotel, where she signed my sketch.

Drawing: Britt Ekland

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of actress Britt Ekland

Swedish actress and singer Britt Ekland was one of the most photographed celebrities during the 1970’s and 80’s due to her star status and high profile marriage to English actor and comedian Peter Sellers. She featured in numerous films, most notable THE NIGHT THEY RAIDED MINSKY’S directed by William Friedkin, for which she received critical acclaim playing Rachel Elizabeth Schpitendavel, an innocent Amish girl who arrives in New York intent on becoming a dancer but accidental ‘invents’ striptease. Britt has said it is her favourite film.

Her leading role in the 1971 iconic crime caper GET CARTER, opposite Michael Caine established her as a ‘blonde bombshell’, further enhanced when she was cast three years later as a Bond girl, Mary Goodnight, in THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, the ninth film in the famous British spy franchise.

Britt was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 show LOOSE ENDS, which was recorded at it’s London studio last Friday, where she signed my portrait sketch.

Drawing: Sarah Brightman

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of musical theatre star Sarah Brightman

The world’s best-selling soprano Sarah Brightman returned to London’s Royal Albert Hall last November, where she last headlined 20 years ago, for one night only as part of her HYMN: SARAH BRIGHTMAN IN CONCERT World Tour. After appearing in a number of productions following her West End musical theatre debut as Jemima in the inaugural London cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS in 1981, she originated the role of Christine Daae in his musical adaptation of Gaston Leroux French Novel THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, the tale of a beautiful songstress who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius (played by Michael Crawford), living in a subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opera House.

It opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre in October 1986, where it is still running, becoming the second longest London musical behind LES MISERABLES, winning the Olivier for Best Musical. Both Sarah and Michael reprised their roles on Broadway, opening in January 1988 at the Majestic Theatre, where it is also still running, becoming the longest running musical on Broadway and winning the Tony Award. After Sarah retired from the stage she has become largely responsible for the popularity of the ‘classical crossover’ genre, selling over 35 million albums and two million DVD’s worldwide, becoming the world’s best-selling soprano. Her fifth album, ‘Timeless/ Time to Say Goodbye’ with the London Symphony Orchestra became her best seller in 1997, going gold, platinum or multi-platinum in 21 countries.

Her duet with Andrea Bocelli performing ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ became one of the highest selling singles of all time. She has won over 200 gold and platinum records in 38 countries.

Sarah kindly signed and returned my drawing, which I left at the Royal Albert Hall prior to her 11 November concert.

Drawing: David Hasselhoff in 9 to 5: The Musical

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Autographed drawing of David Hasselhoff in 9 to 5 the Musical at the Savoy Theatre on London's West End

BAYWATCH and KNIGHT RIDER alum, David Hasselhoff has returned to London’s West End for a limited run in Dolly Parton’s 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL at the Savoy Theatre, playing the sexist, egomaniac CEO Franklin Hart Jr. over the festive-New Year season. “Get hassled by the Hoff”, announced Dolly when revealing David’s inclusion in the show last November.

Based on the 1980 film of the same name, which Dolly starred in, it centres around three female employees who turn the tables on their vile boss and make the company a nicer place to work. Dolly wrote and recorded the theme tune, which became one of her biggest hits of the decade. She also wrote all the songs for the musical, which debuted on Broadway in April 2009 at the Marquis Theatre, earning 15 Drama Desk Award and four Tony nominations.

David made his Broadway debut in 2000 in the musical JEKYLL & HYDE, before his first British and West End appearance as the amoral lawyer Billy Flynn in CHICAGO at the Adelphi Theatre in July 2004. He returned to the US for his role as the flamboyant director Roger De Bris in the Las Vegas production of Mel Brooks’ THE PRODUCERS. In announcing David’s casting, Mel said he would be perfect for the role with his “incredible comedic timing, terrific musical theatre experience and stage presence … oh and great legs for that dress!” (David opened the show wearing a ball gown).

David returned to the London stage as Captain Hook in the New Wimbledon Theatre’s panto PETER PAN over the 2010/2011 Christmas season, reprising the part as ‘Hoff the Hook’ the following year at the Manchester Opera House.

Last Sunday David was a guest on BBC Radio 2’s Michael Ball show where he stopped to sign autographs for a sizeable crowd, including moi and my Franklin sketch.