Drawing: Matt Lucas as Thénardier in Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Ever since he was given a ticket to see Les Misérables for his 13th birthday, Matt Lucas has dreamed of performing in the musical sensation. Matt has made a name for himself in Little Britain with David Walliams.

On 3 October 2010 his dream came true. In fact, it was the subject of a BBC2 TV doco entitled Matt Lucas Dreams the Dream. He played the comic villain Thenardier in the 25th Anniversary concert of the show at the O2 arena in London to a standing ovation. A year later, on 23 June 2011 he reprised the role at The Queen Theatre in the West End for a four month engagement. Matt signed my sketch at the stage door on 6 September 2011

Drawing: Ben Whishaw and Katherine Parkinson in Cock at the Royal Court Theatre

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Provocatively titled, Cock was Mike Bartlett’s punchy new Olivier award winning play, which premiered at The Royal Court in 2009, directed by James Macdonald.

When John takes a break from his girlfriend, he accidentally meets the girl of his dreams. But difficulties arise when you realise you have a choice. It’s a piece full of the male member slang connotations, including the traditional British ‘cock and bull’ story and staged in a circular bullring, or more aptly, a ‘cockpit’.

The brilliant BAFTA award winning Ben Whishaw played ‘John’ – the only properly named character in the play, with the rest of the quartet labelled ‘M’ ‘W’ and ‘F’ – man , woman, father. The equally talented Katherine Parkinson was the only female cast member, playing ‘W’, a tender divorcee.

Shy, but always friendly, Ben, who is currently mesmerising audiences and critics in Mojo, signed at the Noel Coward stage door after a performance of Peter and Alice in April 2013. I then sent the sketch to Katherine who was the lead in Before the Party at the Almeida.

Drawing: Bryony Hannah in The Children’s Hour at The Comedy Theatre

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The Children’s Hour was Lillian Hellman’s first hit play. It premiered in 1934 at Maxine Elliot’s Theatre on Broadway. At the time, any mention of homosexuality on stage was illegal in New York State, but the play was such a success and widely praised that the subject matter was overlooked. A revival was staged at London’s Comedy Theatre in early 2011, directed by Ian Rickson.

It starred Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss as two school mistresses of an all girls boarding school in the 1930s. Their reputations and careers are thrown into chaos when disgruntled student Mary Tilford, played by Bryony Hannah, wrongly claims the two women are having a lesbian affair. It also featured Ellen Burstyn as the evil doting grandmother.

Hannah won rave reviews and an Olivier nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The Times described her as, “a diminutive scowling unknown in a rumpled gymslip who acts the stars right off the stage… the first act is hers and boy does she punch above her weight.”

The Express said her performance, “borders on the brilliant.”

TV viewers will know her as the meek Cynthia Miller in Call the Midwife, and she is currently back on stage at the National in Nick Payne’s Blurred Lines until 22 February.

Drawing: Tyne Daly in Master Class at the Vaudeville Theatre

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Tony and Emmy Award-winning American stage and screen actress Tyne Daly starred as Maria Callas-the most influential opera singer of the 20th century-in the Broadway production of MASTER CLASS in 2011. She reprised the role in the West End which opened at the Vaudeville Theatre in February 2012 for a limited engagement until April. Tyne signed my sketch at the theatre in March.

Drawing: Calendar Girls, starring Lesley Joseph, Kacey Ainsworth, Camilla Dallerup, Helen Fraser, Sue Holderess, Deena Payne, Kathryn Rooney and Ruth Madoc

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Tim Firth adapted his screenplay for the highly successful comedy Calendar Girls for a stage version in 2008. Based on a true story about a group of Yorkshire women who produce a nude calendar to raise funds for Leukaemia Research, the film starred Helen Mirren and Julie Walters.

After playing to sell out audiences at the Chichester Festival Theatre, and a lengthy national tour, it previewed at the Noel Coward Theatre in the West End in April 2009. After a run of nearly a year and numerous cast changes it embarked on a second national tour. I drew the cast near the end of its run, which included Lesley Joseph, Kacey Ainsworth, Camilla Dallerup, Helen Fraser, Sue Holderess, Deena Payne, Kathryn Rooney and Ruth Madoc, who all signed my sketch at the Buxton Opera House, strangely enough in Buxton, in November 2012.

Drawing: The Night Alive starring Ciaran Hinds, Brian Gleeson, Caoilfhionn Dunne, Michael McElhatton and Jim Norton

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Mark Winter / Chicane

THE NIGHT ALIVE is Dublin playwright Conor McPherson’s latest play. After a short run at the Donmar Warehouse in London, (June/July 2013) it transferred to the Linda Gross Theatre in New York, where it is currently playing with the season extended till February.

It revolves around a motley collection of losers, living hand-to-mouth in a trapped existence. Despite its particular Irish setting and vernacular, the play has a universality, common in most of Conor’s work, concerning the loss and redemption among inarticulate people who don’t have the emotional grammar to express themselves.

An excellent cast of 5: Ciaran Hinds, Brian Gleeson, Caoilfhionn Dunne, Michael McElhatton and Jim Norton all came out at the same time of the Donmar on a balmy (and blarney) July evening. Inevitably, I was going to miss one or two as they all quickly headed to the local to quench their thirsts on such a warm night. Hopefully some of the others gathered to garner a graph would delay them long enough for me to sift around all five. I missed one – Brian, mainly because I didn’t recognise him. But I did get him the following evening.

Michael signed for me the previous night, but he didn’t dedicate,so after I recognised and got Brian I asked Michael to sign ‘To Mark’ – he started to sign his name again,then realised it was already there,hence the ‘Michael M’ added to his script on the lower right – five and a half sigs over two nights – not bad!

Drawing: Alexander Hanson, Charlotte Spencer and Charlotte Blackledge in Stephen Ward – The Musical

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Christopher Hampton and Don Black, and directed by Richard Eyre, Stephen Ward centres on the title character’s involvement with the young showgirl Christine Keeler that lead to one of the biggest scandals and most famous trials of the 20th century.

On the 50th anniversary, it deals with Ward as the ‘victim’ who was set up as a scapegoat when the scandal put the skids under Macmillan’s government in 1963. The Telegraph’s critic Charles Spencer suggests, “A show that may well play a part in the current campaign to quash the society osteopath’s trumped up conviction for living on immoral earnings.”

Alexander Hanson plays the charming and suave well connected bachelor Stephen Ward. Charlotte Spencer is the glamorous Keeler, and Charlotte Blackledge is her bubbly friend Mandy Rice-Davies.

The London wind and rain kindly subsided to allow the three leads to sign my sketch at the uncovered Aldwych stage door after last night’s performance.

Drawing: Mark Rylance, Joanna Lumley and David Hyde Pierce in La Bête

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

American playwright David Hirson’s rollicking 1991 play La Bête is a comic tour de force involving Elomire (David Hyde Pierce), a hight-minded classical dramatist who loves only theatre, and Valere (Mark Rylance) a low-born street clown who loves only himself. When the fickle princess (Joanna Lumley) decides she’s grown weary of Elomire’s Royal Theatre troupe, he and Valere are left fighting for survival as art squares off with ego in a literary showdown.

La Bête completed its West End Season from June to August 2010 at the Comedy Theatre (now Harold Pinter) before transferring to the Music Box Theatre for a limited two month run on Broadway in September/October that year.

All three stars signed my sketches at the Comedy Theatre in London.

Drawing: Tamzin Outhwaite in Sweet Charity at Theatre Royal Haymarket

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Award winning British actress Tamzin Outhwaite is best known for her role as Melanie owen in the soap Eastenders, but has appeared in numerous other popular TV shows, including Dr Who, Hustle, Hotel Babylon and New Tricks.

She is also an accomplished stage performer. From November 2009 to March 2010 she starred in Sweet Charity which transferred to the Theatre Royal Haymarket after a successful run at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Tamzin signed my black biro sketch at the Theatre Royal in June 2010.

Drawing: Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles in The Rivals at Theatre Royal Haymarket

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles teamed up again – this time on the West End boards. Their ‘partnership’ goes back to the late 70’s when Penelope, playing the forthright, plummy-accented widow Audrey fforbes-Hamilton and Peter as the debonaire millionaire Richard DeVere featured in the hugely popular British TV sitcom TO THE MANOR BORN. They also starred in the BAFTA-winning EXECUTIVE STRESS alongside Geoffrey Palmer. In 2010 they appeared at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London for Sheridan’s comedy of manners, THE RIVALS, signing my black biro sketch at the theatre in December that year.