From left: Dennis Creaghan, William Hayes, Denise Cormier, David Hyland, Kelly Gibson and Collin McPhillamy in ‘The Dresser.’ Photo by Curtis Brown Photography
By Hap Erstein
Theater audiences are often intrigued by the intricacies of backstage life, and particularly the larger-than-life personalities who have devoted their careers to an unglamorous existence on the road.
So there is little wonder that Ronald Harwood’s 1980 drama The Dresser has been met with success on both sides of the pond, with several major revivals and a couple of filmed adaptations of the story of a symbiotic relationship between a once-great, now gone-to-seed Shakespearean actor-manager known only as Sir and his slavishly devoted companion and factotum, Norman.
The play has long been a favorite of Palm Beach Dramaworks’ producing artistic director William Hayes, so much so that he took on the role of Norman in the company’s fourth season and revives it now, returning in the title role.
While Sir and Norman are fictional characters, they are recognizably based on Sir Donald Wolfit, an incorrigibly difficult stage actor who headed a classical touring troupe in England during the 1940s and ’50s, and Harwood himself, who served as Wolfit’s dresser during that latter decade.
The Dresser is set somewhere in the English provinces in war-torn 1942 and, indeed, the first sound we hear in director J. Barry Lewis’s meticulously detailed production is an air raid siren that threatens to cancel Sir’s 227th rendering of King Lear.
You would think he would have the role down cold by now, but perhaps struggling with dementia, panicky Sir is trying to recall his opening lines — much to Norman’s chagrin — and is virtually catatonic, unable to make his first entrance.
In many ways, The Dresser is a valentine to the theater and to those who trod the boards many years ago, but Harwood is also after something deeper and more personal. For in addition to the history lesson, it is a touching tale of unrequited love.
Despite his name, Sir is as far away from knighthood as his seedy troupe is from London’s West End. Nevertheless, there is greatness in Colin McPhillamy’s performance as the mountainous, egotistical tragedian facing life’s endgame.
As befits the character, most of his lines are bellowed in capital letters, for Sir is always consciously acting, offstage as well as on. The actors and crew in his orbit have both fear and affection for him, dependent as they are on his ability to keep the company intact and solvent.
No one is more aware and on the receiving end of Sir’s mood swings than Norman, his devoted assistant who has accepted his lot in life, living in Sir’s shadow.
In a similar way, Hayes spends much of the evening deferring to McPhillamy, but he comes on strong late in the play as Norman is forced to face how little his love and respect for Sir are reciprocated.
Hayes low-keys the prissy mannerisms that are often used to convey the character’s sexual orientation while leaving no doubt that he is gay.
The Dresser is essentially a two-hander, though Harwood gave himself the luxury of a 10-member cast, some of whom are mere background extras. Standouts include Denise Cormier as Sir’s long-suffering wife, Her Ladyship, and Elizabeth Dimon as Madge, the company’s stage manager.
Among the indignities Cormier has to suffer are being assigned to play Lear’s daughter Cordelia. Dimon, reprising a character she played 21 years ago, aptly projects a scolding admiration for Sir.
Dramaworks’ earlier production was in a more intimate — as in cramped — venue. While that sense of claustrophobia had its advantages, money and space now allow the company the breathing room of Anne Mundell’s scenic design, a well-appointed if shabby dressing space and a cleverly placed side area representing the stage wing.
There, the actors huddle and double as the sound crew,. Veteran costumer Brian O’Keefe must have had fun assembling the theatrical wardrobe for the cast, as well as Sir’s dingy gray union suit underwear.
In recent years, Dramaworks has been placing an emphasis on producing new works. While that is an admirable goal, it is currently demonstrating the value of also reaching back in this 25th anniversary season and reviving cherished productions from its past.
Whether you saw PBD’s The Dresser 21 years ago or not, see it now.
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