British actress Harriet Thorpe has played two of the West End’s most memorable, musical, Madames – Madame Thenardier in LES MISERABLES at the Palace Theatre in 1996 and Madame Morrible in WICKED at the Apollo Victoria in 2008, 2010 and again in 2013. She was recently performing ‘Sir’s’ long-suffering wife in THE DRESSER at the Duke of York’s where she signed my ‘Madames’ drawing.
British award-winning actress Kate O’Flynn returns to the London stage in John Tiffany’s elegant production of Tennessee Williams’s 1944 autobiographical breakthrough play, THE GLASS MENAGERIE at the Duke of York’s theatre this month. It transfers from a sell-out run at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Kate plays Laura Wingfield, the frail, damaged daughter of the bruised and brittle Southern matriarch Amanda, played by the formidable Broadway great Cherry Jones. Kate’s entrance through the middle of a sofa has been described as ‘unforgettable’ like the rest of her performance.
She signed my sketch on her way to the theatre for last Saturday’s matinee.
I finally got to meet the Broadway icon and one of America’s greatest stage actresses Cherry Jones on Saturday at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London where the two-time Tony winner makes her West End debut in Tennessee William’s 1944 five-character memory play, THE GLASS MENAGERIE.
Cherry reprises her 2013 Broadway role as the faded Southern belle Amanda Wingfield in the John Tiffany production which also headlined at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where critics described her performance as ‘sensational’.
“For a woman my age this part is our HAMLET,” said the sixty year-old in a recent interview with WhatsOnStage. She also said that she had been trying to get to Britain all her adult life, “Now I’m in heaven and I want to stay.” TV viewers will know her for her Emmy Award winning role as the US President Allison Taylor in the Fox series 24.
Cherry was having a quick break from an afternoon run-trough on Saturday before the evening performance and I happened to be there at the right time. She was very warm and gracious and was more the happy signed my sketch.
English actress Kirsten Hazel Smith joined this years cast for the 65th year of Agatha Christie’s THE MOUSETRAP, the world’s longest running play. At London’s St Martin’s Theatre. Kirsten plays Mollie Ralston, the proprietor of Monkswell Manor, the venue for the famous murder mystery. Kirsten’s previous stage appearances include THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and A FLEA IN HER EAR at the Old Vic.She signed this drawing for me after last Saturdays matinee at the stage door.
Hannah Lee is one of the new cast members for the 2016/17 season of Agatha Christie’s legendary whodunnit THE MOUSETRAP, as it continues its record-breaking run at St Martin’s Theatre. Hannah has played Miss Casewell since the cast change-over lat last year. A graduate of the Bristol Old Vic, after completing an Honours degree in English at Cambridge University, Hannah made her West End debut in the world’s longest running play and becomes one of the 450 actors and actresses who have appeared in the production since it opened at the Ambassadors Theatre on 25 November 1952. The cast have a very short time between the late Saturday matinee, and the evening performance, but Hannah did pop out for a break and I managed to catch her to sign this drawing.
Simon Callow’s passion for the work of Charles Dickens continued over the festive season just passed, when he bought his solo show A CHRISTMAS CAROL back to the West End.
After sell-out runs in 2011/12, acclaimed by both critics and audiences alike, the brilliant veteran actor and ‘Dickensionado’ once again teamed up with director-designer Tom Cairns to perform Dickens’ own performance adaption of the much loved Christmas novella in a limited run at the intimate Arts Theatre. Described as a ‘one-man theatrical extravaganza of heart warming and deeply moving festive story-telling,’ Simon plays the Victorian author himself, Scrooge and a host of other parts in the 90 minute performance.
“Embody the narrator Scrooge and other characters, Callow whisks the audience away on a journey that makes you feel like you have never heard A CHRISTMAS CAROL before,” wrote George Simpson in the Express.
I meet the charming and charismatic Simon after his matinee performance a couple of Saturdays ago in the small cafe/bar/front of house/box office at the Arts Theatre and he signed this drawing for me.
After an eight year hiatus, RIPPER STREET’S Lucy Cohu returned to the stage in Andrew Bowell’s psychological thriller SPEAKING IN TONGUES at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre in the Autumn of 2009. She played double roles moving from a seductive wife to a terrified victim. Among her small screen roles was Princess Margaret in Channel 4’s THE QUEEN’S SISTER which earned her Emmy and BAFTA nominations in 2005. Three years later she won an International Emmy playing Liz in the true-life drama FORGIVEN.
Lucy was back on the London boards this Christmas in the classic 1930’s comedy, often described as Broadway’s revenge on Hollywood, ONCE IN A LIFETIME at the Young Vic, playing the star-columnist Helen Hobart. I meet her in the last week of the run and she signed this montage sketch for me.
This is the second drawing Ed Harris signed for me at the Trafalgar Studios where he appears as Dodge, the whiskey-soaked patriarch of a dysfunctional family in Sam Shepard’s American gothic play BURIED CHILD. His performance has garnered excellent reviews with the guardian’s Michael Billington calling it, “utterly compelling.”
Ed signed my sketch just before Christmas and the production has been extended until early March this year.
Both Amy Madigan and her husband Ed Harris are making their London stage debuts in Sam Shepard’s celebrated play BURIED CHILD at the Trafalgar Studios. Sam Elliot’s revival transferred from a two month run at New York’s Pershing Square Signature Theatre. Amy plays Hallie, the psychologically troubled matriarch of a dysfunctional family which the Guardian’s Michael Billington described as “deftly mixing self-delusion with downright flirtiness.”
Amy received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination in 1985 for TWICE IN A LIFETIME and won a Golden Globe for her portrayal as Sarah Weddington in the 1989 TV film ROE vs WADE.
I meet the very approachable and friendly couple after an evening performance just before Christmas and they were happy to sign my drawings.
The UK and Ireland touring production of DIRTY DANCING had a December stopover at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End with Lewis Griffiths as Johnny Castle and Katie Hartland playing the role of Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman. When it premiered in London at the Aldwych Theatre in 2006 the stage adaption of the hit 1987 film was the highest pre-sell in London’s history before a two year tour then returning to the Piccadilly Theatre in 2013 for another twelve months.
Lewis is no stranger to major musical productions with roles in PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, LEGALLY BLONDE, GHOST and JERSEY BOYS, but this is Katie’s professional musical theatre debut after recently graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
I left this drawing at the theatre just before Christmas and it arrived back signed and dedicated last week.
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