The Dresser
Theatre Royal Bath ★★★★☆
AS author Ronald Harwood said in an interview quoted in the programme: “Once a mistaken interpretation attaches to a work of imagination it is difficult, if not impossible to dispel.”
Because Ronald Harwood worked for some time as Dresser to the wonderfully exaggerated actor/ manager Donald Wolfit, it has become almost the norm to believe that this is a semi-autobiographical play, rather than the expertly observed portrayal of the people he met during his time with Wolfit’s company.
On offer to the actors cast as ‘Sir’ and Norman, his dresser, are two “tour de force” characters that give them the opportunity to give fullblooded performances, but also leave them in danger of becoming too bold and turning these wonderful characters into caricatures.
Matthew Kelly and Julian Clary, are the latest in a distinguished line of actors to inherit the roles of ‘Sir’ and Norman, trying to walk the narrow line between character and caricature.
Matthew Kelly finds the poignancy and sadness in ‘Sir.’ This is a man near to mental and physical exhaustion refusing to accept that his powers as an actor, and the style of theatre he loves, are passing into history.
There was room, as he rants and rails against the oncoming of age, for the portrayal to have been even bigger and more expansive in the manner of the great self-centred actor/managers.
In a similar vein, Julian Clary’s Norman could have been more waspish in his dealings with the other members of the company, without losing any of the beautifully delivered moments of pathos from a finely balanced performance.
The moment when he realises that, despite all his sacrifices, in the introduction to his autobiography, ‘Sir’ has not even mentioned ‘The Dresser’ amongst the company members listed for thanks, was a lovely mixture of bitterness and poignancy.
Director Terry Johnson takes advantage of every aspect of Tim Shortall’s expertly designed sets and costumes to evoke the time and place of a third-rate provincial theatre, and the characters involved in a style of theatre about to pass out of sight.
The director and actors have also not forgotten that among the sadness there are some very funny moments, and with such fine practitioners as Matthew Kelly and Julian Clary on hand there is a continual stream of humour running through the tension and sadness within the story, which added greatly to the evening’s enjoyment.