Photo by Curtis Brown
Colin McPhillamy, as Sir (front) and Bill Hayes as Norman (back, left) lead the cast of Palm Beach Dramaworks’ remount of ‘The Dresser’
By AARON KRAUSE
In Ronald Harwood’s touching 1980 backstage drama, The Dresser, the familiar and perhaps unfamiliar merge to form a humorous, heartbreaking, and engrossing theatrical experience.
Perhaps you caught Palm Beach Dramaworks’ (PBD) 2003 mounting of The Dresser. But if you missed it, or just want to experience it again, you are in luck. That is because the nonprofit, professional, and award-winning PBD, which is celebrating its 25th year, is re-staging Harwood’s gem of a play.
The roughly two-hour production, which includes an intermission, is onstage through Jan. 5 at PBD’s intimate theater on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach.
While most of the cast is different this time, at least one performer has returned to portray the same role. Specifically, PBD Producing Artistic Director Bill Hayes is reprising his performance as Norman. That character is the play’s titular dresser. He is almost always at the beck and call of an actor-manager named only “Sir” in early 1940s England.
I did not experience PBD’s 2003 production. However, I can say this without hesitation — the revival, under J. Barry Lewis’s astute direction, is as moving as it is believable, energetic, and funny.
The Dresser features tight and vivid writing. And it offers us more than a glimpse of what for many are unfamiliar sights. They include the goings on backstage during a live theatrical production and what happens in an actor’s dressing room. But the play, a genuine love letter to live theater and its artists’ resilience and determination, also presents us with what, unfortunately, is a painfully familiar sight – an aging person in decline. In fact, similarities exist between The Dresser and Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear. The latter is the play which Sir’s company is staging on the night that much of Harwood’s piece takes place. Clearly, Sir’s mental state is similar to that of the titular king in Shakespeare’s tragedy.
For The Dresser, Harwood (1934-2020) followed advice that experts have given to many writers – write what you know. Indeed, he based his play on his experiences as a dresser to real-life Shakespearean actor-manager Sir Donald Wolfit (1902-1968). He is the model for Sir in The Dresser.
The play centers on a small theatrical touring company around the English countryside during World War II. And in that company is a veteran actor-manager, Sir, as well as his dresser, Norman.
More specifically, Norman is struggling to prepare Sir to once again portray the titular character in King Lear. Actually, he has played the part 226 times. Still, on this night, Sir cannot even remember his first line. Truly, he seems confused, exhausted, insecure, and not mentally present. Instead, he is recalling past moments from his long career and wondering whether his work has ever truly made a difference.
Speaking of Sir’s career, The Dresser is about a way of theatrical life that no longer exists. To be specific, Sir is an actor-manager. That is an individual who not only plays major roles onstage but handles the business and financial affairs of the company which he/she owns and operates and for which he/she performs.
The actor-manager system was common during the 18th and 19th centuries, but waned in the 20th century. That is when stage managers and later theater directors replaced actor-managers. Several factors adversely affected the system. They included the increasing cost of mounting live theatrical productions and more corporate ownership of theaters.
Not surprisingly, actor-managers had to work harder than performers who did not own and or operate a company. And when you add inconveniences such as one-night stands, missed trains, uncomfortable lodgings, and missed meals to the mix, it is no wonder why actor-managers such as Sir feel weary and overwhelmed.
As Sir, veteran actor Colin McPhillamy, who is no stranger to PBD or the stage in general, shines in the role. With impressive naturalism, he scrunches his face into vivid and convincing expressions of confusion, pain, weariness, and helplessness. Also, the performer’s expressive voice clearly conveys these emotions and feelings.
McPhillamy, a big man with grey hair that looks a bit disheveled, is also unpredictable as Sir. Suddenly, in a dramatic and loud voice, he bellows something, his hands form fists and shake, and he looks wobbly. “Pussy, please, I’m sinking. Don’t push me further into the mud,” he pleads with his wife. Harwood has named Sir’s wife only “Her Ladyship, but Sir calls her “Pussy” for some reason.
McPhillamy has described Sir as a “self-obsessed, bombastic old ham.” And judging from McPhillamy’s performance, it is obvious that Sir tends to be self-centered and loves to hear himself talk. But we also gather from the portrayal that Sir cares about Norman. Frankly, though, as self-centered and pompous as Sir can be, you wonder why his company members have devoted themselves to working with him for so long.
At one point, McPhillamy’s Sir looks at himself with unfamiliarity, as though he is observing an alien. This suggests that the character may not even recognize himself. Naturally, this begs a question; Is Sir suffering from some form of dementia or a related condition? Or, has the actor-manager’s many duties simply overwhelmed Sir to the point that he can no longer function? While the play provides few answers, it offers us things to think about (in keeping with PBD’s tagline “Theater to Think About.”) For instance, are we near burnout at our own jobs or do we know someone who is? Do we feel appreciated and do we appreciate others in our lives?
We gather that Sir appreciates his wife. And Denise Cormier portrays Her Ladyship with credible concern about her husband, but also disappointment; you sense her marriage to him has left her wanting something more. During one scene, Her Ladyship speaks to Sir without looking at him and the tension between them is palpable.
One of the saddest things about Norman is that he does not appear to have a relationship with anybody other than Sir. And while the older man expresses his feelings for Norman, we learn before the play’s tragic end that perhaps Sir did not truly appreciate all that Norman did for him.
While we do not learn much about the characters’ past, Harwood reveals that Sir was the first person to truly validate Norman. The younger man mostly understudied minor roles as an actor, but one day Sir called him an artist. Understandably, that made Norman feel good…and he devoted himself to Sir from that moment. When the play begins, Sir and Norman have been together for 16 years.
With wide dark eyes and a high-pitched, sweet-sounding voice, Hayes’ fast-moving Norman looks and sounds like a totally submissive and dedicated servant. Actually, you wonder whether this attentive man has ever said “no” to Sir – or to anybody for that matter. But just when you are about to dismiss Hayes’ Norman as ineffectual or weak, his voice becomes sharper, his demeanor grows more confident, and you realize this person is not just a pushover. There is clearly a limit to how far you can push him. And, as Hayes portrays him, your heart goes out to Norman at the end. What will this suddenly aimless man do and where will he go, you wonder. In fact, you want to comfort him.
Hayes’ portrayal is affecting at other times as well. For example, during one scene when Sir becomes upset, Norman’s manner becomes gentle and playful. It sounds as though the titular dresser is a caring and loving teacher reassuring an insecure child.
While Hayes, an experienced actor and director, and McPhillamy portray the play’s major characters, they are not the production’s only stars.
Veteran South Florida performer Elizabeth Dimon, an award-winning actress, lends the fictional company’s stage manager, Madge, a convincing business-like, even cold manner. She wants a definite answer as to whether Sir will be able to go on stage tonight. Of course, she is just doing her job in complete service and devotion to Sir. Honestly, though, it would be easier to pull for Madge if the playwright also gave her a sensitive side.
Kelly Gibson, a New York City-based actress who has previously performed at PBD, exudes naiveté as Irene. She is a young performer in Sir’s company who loves the stage and Sir infatuates her. As Gibson portrays her, we sense this desire as well as the character’s intense passion and determination to become the leading lady.
Gary Cadwallader, an actor and PBD’s director of education and community engagement, also delivers a solid performance as Mr. Oxenby. In particular, Cadwallader imbues him with palpable chilliness.
Dennis Creaghan, David A. Hyland, Cliff Goulet, and John Campagnuolo also ably portray company members.
Behind the scenes, Anne Mundell, PBD’s resident scenic designer, has created two realistic and detailed sets side by side. On stage left, we see Mundell’s depiction of backstage. Theatrical posters, brick walls, and props such as ladders are among the telling details. We not only get a peak backstage, but we gain a sense of how theater artists create illusion and theatrical magic behind the scenes. On stage right is Sir’s spacious dressing room. It includes details such as a make-up table and a place to hang clothes. Also, set pieces that place us in the period include a radio. The fact that the sets are side by side helps to ensure smooth transitions between scenes.
PBD resident sound designer Roger Arnold has included seemingly realistic effects such as air raid sirens. They not only signal that a war is happening, but such discomfiting sounds symbolize the turmoil taking place inside Sir’s mind. Arnold’s design also makes it easy for us to hear and understand the performers.
Kirk Bookman’s lighting design is appropriately natural, while Brian O’Keefe’s character-appropriate costumes are period specific.
The Dresser includes lines that theater aficionados will appreciate. They include a humorous reference to the superstition against saying the title of Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play” out loud. But even if you are not a fan of live theater, Harwood’s play contains enough relatable material to appeal to most people. And PBD should be proud of its production. Thankfully, Hayes and Co. chose to remount the play to allow more folks to experience it.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: The Dresser
WHEN: Through Jan. 5
WHERE: Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St. in West Palm Beach
TICKETS: $72-$107. Call (561) 514-4042 or go to www.palmbeachdramaworks.org.
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