Tag Archives: West End

Drawing: Kenneth Branagh as King Lear

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Autographed drawing of Kenneth Branagh as King Lear at the Wyndham's Theatre on London's West End

After an eight year hiatus, Sir Kenneth Branagh returned to the West End boards last autumn with his reduced (two hours with no interval), radically youthful KING LEAR, set in a harsh, neolithic Britain at Wyndham’s Theatre for a limited run of 50 performances. It will transfer later this year to The Shed off-Broadway.

Regarded as ‘the actor’s Everest’, Ken both directed and starred in the titular role amongst a cast of mostly recent Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduates – his own alma mater. Until last month he was also RADA’s president after succeeding the late Richard, Lord Attenborough in 2015. His appearance was described by one Guardian critic as having a “luxuriant bouffant and possibly the most follicularly blessed Lear since Laurence Olivier”, who first played the mythological monarch at the age of 39.

Ken actually portrayed his idol and fellow theatrical knight, Sir Larry in the 2011 film MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, for which he received one of his eight Oscar nominations. He was the first individual to be nominated in seven different categories, winning in 2022 for his original screenplay and ‘most personal project’ BELFAST, the coming-of-age feature film, based on his formative years in the Northern Irish capital during the beginning of ‘the Troubles’ in 1969. He was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Director. Ken has won five BAFTA Awards from 13 nominations, two Emmys and a Golden Globe. At the recent Screen Actors Guild Awards, he accepted the SAG statue on behalf of the acting ensemble of Christopher Nolan’s OPPENHEIMER for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. His role is the Nobel-winning Danish physicist and J. Robert Oppenheimer’s idol, Niels Bohr.

After missing him at the Wyndham’s stage door, I dropped my LEAR sketch into Ken’s London office late last year, which he kindly returned, signed along with a dedicated copy of the BELFAST poster.

Kenneth Branagh signed Belfast poster

Drawing: Gabriel Vick in Mrs Doubtfire The Musical

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Autographed drawing of Gabriel Vick in Mrs Doubtfire: The Musical at Shaftesbury Theatre on London's West End

The musical adaption of the hilarious and heartfelt 1993 film MRS DOUBTFIRE, starring Robin Williams as the titular nanny, opened its West End run last spring at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Directed by four-time Tony winner Jerry Zaks, with original music by the Kirkpatrick brothers, Wayne and Karey, written by satirist John O’Farrell, and featuring Gabriel Vick as both Daniel Hillard and Euphegenia Doubtfire.

Gabriel’s comedic and chameleonic performance has received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, his London stage appearances include the original cast of AVENUE Q at the Noel Coward Theatre, SCROOGE at the London Palladium and CHARIOTS OF FIRE at the Gielgud Theatre.

He plays the out-of-work voice actor Daniel who will do anything for his kids. After losing custody in a messy divorce, he creates the alter ego, a Scottish nanny in a desperate attempt to stay in their lives.

“Multi-talented, hyperactive Gabriel Vick in the lead goes the extra mile, and then some,” wrote the Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish, in this “sure-fire hit, my dears”. As one audience member posted online, “Shout out to Gabriel Vick, he really would’ve made Robin proud. Smashed it!”

This “cross-dressing comedy soars from screen to stage,” wrote Rachel Halliburton in her four-star Times review.

And, listen up poppets… the run has been extended until February 2025, so no reason to miss it.

Gabriel kindly signed my quick sketch last Saturday between shows at the Shaftesbury stage door.

Drawing: Jodie Comer in PRIMA FACIE

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Autographed Drawing of Jodie Comer in Prima Facie on West End

“West End debuts don’t come much more astonishing than this solo tour de force by Jodie Comer,” wrote The Telegraph’s Chief Theatre Critic Dominic Cavendish in his five-star review of the 90 minute, one-hander PRIMA FACIE, which ran this spring at the Harold Pinter Theatre, for a sold-out nine week season. The BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning actress plays Tessa Ensler, a brilliant barrister, who specialises in defending men accused of sexual assault, until she is raped by a colleague. It was only her second ever stage role, the first in Scarborough, thirteen years ago when she was 16, playing Ruby in THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING at the Stephen Joseph Theatre.

“The KILLING EVE star makes a masterful West End debut in Suzi Miller’s play about sexual assault and the legal system,” said the Guardian’s Arifa Akbar. The Evening Standard’s Nick Curtis wrote, “We all wanted to know if she’s as good live on stage as she is on screen. And the answer is no: she’s better.”

“Comer evolves the character as the play goes on, twisting Tessa’s charismatic confidence into traumatised, fidgety panic-duality expressed in the publicity poster, which overlays an image of a self-satisfied lawyer-mode Comer into one of her letting out an anguished scream… and she plays all the other supporting roles… we watch her slip between the prim prosperity and rounded vowels of Tessa’s Cambridge Professors to the crotch-scratching arrogance of policemen and Elton-boy drawl of her peers among many others,” wrote Yasmin Omar in her Curzon Cinemas review for the NT Live screening of the production in movie theatres.
Jodie will make her Broadway debut at the Schubert Theatre later this year when the production transfers to New York.

She kindly signed my sketch at the Pinter stage door after her final performance on 18 June where hundreds of fans gathered, fifteen deep.

Drawing: LIfe of Pi, The Tiger 7

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Autographed drawing of the Tiger Puppet from Life of Pi on West End, London

The Covid pandemic delayed the West End transfer of the spectacular stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s best-selling Booker Prize-winning novel, the LIFE OF PI from the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield to London’s Wyndham’s Theatre. It finally opened last December, winning five Olivier Awards including Best New Play…. and creating London theatrical history when the six puppeteers and voice artist of the tiger – Fred Davis (Head), Daisy Franks (Heart), Romina Hytten (Heart), Tom Larkin (Head), Habib Nasib Nader (Voice),Tom Stacy (Hind) and Scarlet Wilderink (Heart) – won Best Supporting Actor.

A sixteen-year-old Indian boy named Pi is cast adrift on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for 227 days with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutang and a Royal Bengal Tiger called Richard Parker. The puppet designers and movement directors, Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes also won Oliviers. In her WhatsOnStage review, Sarah Crompton wrote,”If you want theatrical magic, LIFE OF PI is the show for you. The tiger is a magnificent creation whose every movement and sound make you believe you are in the presence of a dangerous, prowling beast.”

“It’s a landmark moment in puppetry… we’re hoping it opens the door for more puppets in central roles in the future”, said Fred after their deserved win.

I left a quick sketch of Richard Parker along with a congratulatory card at the Wyndham’s stage door, which all of the ‘Tiger 7’ kindly signed and returned for me, along with two pieces of special original artwork from Romina and Payal Misty, who plays Pi’s sister Rani. They also gave me a programme, signed by all the cast. Big thanks!

Artwork and thank you notes from Life of Pi Puppeteers

Drawing: Liza Sadovy as Fraulein Schneider in CABARET

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Autographed drawing of Liza Sadovy in Cabaret at the Playhouse Theatre on London's West End

British actress Liza Sadovy won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her performance as the amiable landlady Fraulein Schneider in Rebecca Frecknall’s sensational revival of CABARET at the Playhouse Theatre. The production made history, winning all four Musical acting categories with leads Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley and fellow supporting actor and on-stage love interest Elliot Levey also collecting their respective awards at this month’s Royal Albert Hall ceremony.

“Sadovy is especially excellent, bringing both sweetness and steeliness to her depiction of a world- weary woman,” wrote Miriam Gibson in her LondonBoxOffice review. Liza and Elliot (as the Jewish shopkeeper Herr Schultz) are retirement-age lovers as the Nazi party is taking over the streets of Berlin in the 1930’s. They ‘swoon over a pineapple until their relationship is derailed by anti-Semitism.’ In Variety, David Benedict said, “The utter sincerity of the detailing of their relationship is so magnetic that even the pineapple song ‘It Couldn’t Please Me More’ here makes rare emotional sense,”

Liza’s career has seen her perform on both sides of the Atlantic. Her stage appearances include WICKED in the original London production as the replacement Madame Morrible, Catherine De Brie in LA BETE on both Broadway and the West End, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, OLIVER!, PYGMALION and RICHARD II to name a few. She has also appeared in Opera productions such as THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, LA TRAVIATA and DON GIOVANNI. In film and TV she lists Tim Burton’s SWEENY TODD:THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, MIDSOMER MURDERS, EASTENDERS and VERA amongst her credits.

Liza signed this sketch for me on her final day at the Playhouse, before immediately starting rehearsals for Rodger and Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA!, where the Tony Award- winning production transfers to London’s Young Vic, after its acclaimed Broadway run and US tour. It opens this week with Liza playing the town’s fun-loving caretaker Aunt Eller.

Drawing: Elliot Levey as Herr Schultz in CABARET

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Autographed drawing of Elliot Levey in Cabaret at London's Playhouse Theatre on West End

The London revival of the Kander and Ebb classic musical CABARET at the Playhouse Theatre was nominated for 11 Olivier Awards, winning seven, including Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Elliot Levey for his portrayal of the kindly old Jewish fruit seller, Herr Schultz in Berlin during the Weimar-era. After reading philosophy at Oxford University, Elliot has become a popular regular on the British stage, including the National Theatre’s 2004 revival of HIS DARK MATTERS, as Brutus in CORIOLANUS with Mark Gatiss and Tom Hiddleston at the Donmar Warehouse in 2013 and in the role of Don John in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING alongside David Tennant and Catherine Tate at Wyndham’s in 2011. His film work includes Kenneth Branagh’s remake of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, THE LADY IN THE VAN, THE QUEEN, PHILOMENIA and on the small screen, PEAKY BLINDERS.

“Lovely work from Elliot Levey and Liza Sadovy as the landlady Fraulein Schneider… the fate of their sweet, courtly romance in the face of Nazi disapproval drives events in the story,” wrote Andrzej Lukowski in his TimeOut review. Variety critic David Benedict said, “Any scrap of sentimentality in the writing is banished by the wonderfully held tension between the two actors, who use expert comic timing to walk a tentative tightrope between hope and heartbreak.”

Elliot signed this drawing I did of him prior to a Saturday matinee at the Playhouse Theatre stage door the day before he collected his Olivier.

Drawing: Hiran Abeysekera in the Life Of Pi

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Autographed drawing of Hiran Abeysekera in the Life Of Pi on West End

Lolita Chakrabarti’s puppet-powered adaption of Yann Martel’s much-loved Booker Prize winning novel THE LIFE OF PI opened in Sheffield’s Crucible theatre in 2019 to a rapturous reception, but its West End transfer was severely delayed due to the pandemic. It was worth the wait. When the breathtaking production, directed by Max Webster, finally opened at Wyndham’s Theatre last November, it was an instant smash hit, ‘A Theatrical Phenomenon’ (The Telegraph), winning five Olivier Awards at last weekend’s Royal Albert Hall ceremony, including Best New Play.

“It is one of the most visually stunning theatre shows I have ever seen,” wrote Andrzej Lukowski in his TimeOut review. “Long after the curtain falls LIFE OF PI will make you believe in the power of theatre,” said The Times.

A father’s decision to relocate his ramshackled family zoo in the South Indian coastal town of Pondicherry to Canada begins an epic 227-day journey of hope and endurance. After the cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean there are five survivors on a lifeboat; a hyena, a zebra, an orangutang, a Royal Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker and the extraordinary story’s protagonist and zookeeper’s son, sixteen-year-old Piscine Molitor ‘Pi’ Patel (named after a swimming pool in Paris), played by a very youthful and ebullient 35 year-old RADA graduate Hiran Abeysekera, deservedly winning the Olivier for Best Actor.

During the delay and lockdowns, Hiran recalled thinking, “like many creative people, he questioned the importance of his job, compared to nurses and other frontline workers, but then people kept taking about all the things that they were watching on their laptops and how TV and entertainment were a huge part of people’s mental health.” It reassured him.

Hiran’s personal theatrical journey began after his memorable portrayal of Alan Strang in the 2007 British Council’s Sri Lankan production of Peter Shaffer’s EQUUS in his hometown of Columbo, which caught the attention of theatre director Willi Richards, who flew him to the UK to audition for various drama schools, winning a scholarship at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. And so the 23 year-old began a new life in London.

Sri Lankan Sunday Times journalist interviewed Hiran in 2008. He wrote, “Some people make an instant impression on you. Some others leave you hoping you would meet them again. This young man falls into both categories.” I certainly agree, meeting Hiran at the stage door prior to a Sunday matinee last month, where he kindly signed my sketch.

Drawing: Lily Allen, Hadley Fraser, Julia Chan and Jake Wood in 2:22 A GHOST STORY

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Autographed drawing of Lily Allen, Hadley Fraser, Julia Chan and Jake Wood in 2:22 A GHOST STORY on West End

One of the first productions to open on the West End after the pandemic lockdowns forced theatres to go dark for nearly 18 months was Danny Robins’ supernatural thriller, 2:22 A GHOST STORY, directed by Matthew Dunster. It opened at the Noel Coward Theatre in early August last year, becoming the hottest ticket in town. After weeks of sell-out performances, 2:22 finished its initial run on 16 October.

Described as ‘the theatrical event of the year’, it marked the West End debut of chart-topping singer Lily Allen as Jenny, who believes her new house is haunted. “There’s something in our home. I hear it every night at the same time… 2:22”, while her husband Sam (Hadley Fraser) is having nothing of it. They invite Lauren, (Julia Chan) an old friend and her new partner Ben (Jake Wood) as their first dinner guests and Jenny persuades them all to stay up until 2:22 to see what happens.

In his TimeOut review, Andrzej Lukowski wrote, “2:22 is a rare and precious example of a good West End Ghost Story.”

Because of phenomenal demand, the play transferred across town to the Gielgud Theatre with a new cast until 12 February.

Due to covid protocols, the original cast members – Lily, Hadley, Julia and Jake were unable to sign at the stage door until after the final performance when I was able to have my sketch ‘graphed by all four.

Susan Penhaligon, Louise Jameson, Lizzie Muncey and Sarah Moss in The Mousetrap

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Autographed drawing of Sarah Moss as Miss Casewell in The Mousetrap at St Martin's Theatre on London's West End
Autographed drawing of Louise Jameson as Mrs Boyle in The Mousetrap at St Martin's Theatre on London's West End
Autographed drawing of Lizzie Muncey as Miss Casewell in The Mousetrap at St Martin's Theatre on London's West End

Agatha Christie’s genre-defining murder mystery play THE MOUSETRAP opened on the West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when it was discontinued as all London’s theatres went dark due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ending the longest initial run of any play in theatrical history. It will hopefully celebrate its 70th anniversary next year. As restrictions eased in England, the classic whodunnit resumed at St Martin’s Theatre on 17 May this year with two separate casts alternating each week.

As news spreads of a murder, a group of strangers find themselves snowed in at Monkswell Manor, a stately countryside guesthouse outside of London. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover that a killer is in their midst. Who will be the next victim? Two of the characters are Mrs Boyle, a pompous, pretentious critical older women who is a former court magistrate played by Susan Penhaligon and Louise Jameson and Miss Casewell, a strange, aloof, masculine woman who speaks off-handedly about her horrific childhood experiences was portrayed by Lizzie Muncey and Sarah Moss.

To mark the welcome return, I drew these sketches of the four cast members and left them at the theatre prior to The reopening, which they all kindly signed and returned. I added an additional image on Susan’s drawing of her as university student Prue Sorensen in ITV’s 1976 drama series BOUQUET OF BARBED WIRE.

Drawing: Victoria Lucie and Molly Roberts in The Mousetrap

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Autographed drawing of Victoria Lucie and Molly Roberts in The Mousetrap at the St Martin's Theatre on London's West End

The world’s longest continuously running play for the past 68 years, Agatha Christie’s THE MOUSTRAP in London’s West End has finally ended its ‘initial’ run. On March 16 this year, when the British Prime Minister issued a statement in response to the Covid-19 pandemic advising people to avoid gathering in theatres, cinemas, bars and restaurants, the producers appropriately ‘suspended’ all performances until 30 June at the earliest. All theatre’s are now dark until further notice after the lockdown was formalised a week later.

The timeless tale of ‘whodunnit’ by the ‘Queen of mystery’, involving a small group of people who gather at Monkswell Manor, where a murder takes place during a blizzard, opened at the Ambassadors Theatre on 25 November 1952, running until Saturday 23 March 1974, before transferring next door to St Martin’s on the Monday. It has become a West End staple ever since.

One of my recent routines is to draw the actresses playing the strange and aloof Miss Casewell and the Manor’s co-proprietor, Mollie Ralston after each cast change – in this case, Victoria Lucie and Mollie Roberts respectfully, who now have the distinction of being part of final cast of THE MOUSETRAP’s ‘initial’ run. Victoria is making her West End debut and has just finished a TV pilot for NOIR-MAN. Mollie is the Artistic Director for Poleroid Theatre and is a regular on stage and screen, receiving multiple Off West End Award nominations.

Both signed my sketch prior to the lockdown.