The Dresser review

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Oxford Theatre Guild, OFS Studio, Tue December 4th - Sat December 8th 2007

The Dresser has certainly been a popular play for amateur groups in Oxfordshire this year - this production is the third to hit the stage in 2007. It is easy to see why: it has often been referred to as a 'love letter to the theatre' - featuring, as it does, the intimate lives of a small scale Shakespearean touring company struggling with a production of King Lear amidst the turmoil of the Second World War. Central to the action is the relationship between 'Sir', an actor-manager in the grand tradition, and Norman, his dresser of some ten years. The play opens with 'Sir' having gone missing and follows the action through what turns out to be his final performance as Lear.
The most memorable scenes of the play occur in the second half as we, the audience, are shown the backstage chaos as the performance is going on. Entrances being missed, sound effects being created and general theatrical mayhem - all creating great comic effect. This is nicely counter pointed by the ultimately tragic happenings in 'Sir's dressing room.
There can be no doubt that Oxford Theatre Guild's production, under the careful watch of Sue Baxter, is highly polished. The set is, perhaps, the best I have seen in the OFS Studio - creating a real sense of place and period. The props and costumes, on the whole, are well chosen. I was also delighted to see real tea being made on stage! The lighting and sound worked well, seamlessly flowing with and complementing the action.
This play rests on its two central performances. Colin Burnie as 'Sir' gives a nuanced portrayal of a man struggling to come to terms with his own mortality, ranging through the full seven ages of man eliciting sympathy and smiles in equal measure. He is obviously at home in the bombastic passages where he is at his most theatrical, but he is equally able to show the more vulnerable side to 'Sir's character. (I have seen Colin perform on a number of occasions now, and I have to say that this is the best to date.) Opposite Burnie is Alexander Rogers as Norman. It is clear that he has spent a lot of time and effort in creating the character, peppering his delivery with verbal and physical tics and mannerisms. He shows Norman as a multi-faceted person, conveying both his vicious side and the more flamboyant aspects of the character. Whilst this is, for the main part, successful, I feel that he does not quite integrate the technical skill of his portrayal with the character as conceived by the author. I do not want this to be seen as a major criticism - it is not. However, it feels to me that he may require a little more time to settle into the role - something that the rest of the week will allow him to do.
The rest of the cast work well with the more limited scope they are given by the script. Gloria Deacon is touching as 'Her Ladyship', bringing the right combination of steely determination and fragility to the role. Credit must also go to the three actors who never appear on stage but whose voices we hear - such dedication is to be applauded.
All in all, this is a good production of a good play. It shows that Oxford Theatre Guild is on top form and able to compete with the best that the county has to offer. I am sure you will be royally entertained.

Simon Tavener, 05/12/07

Daily Information

The Dresser: OFS Studio

Now known for penning award-winning screenplays - and, indeed, for writing this play - Ronald Harwood used to be a 'dresser' to the stars. He knew what it was like to be subjugated to every whim and desire of theatre's leading men. He used these experiences to inform this 1980 drama about someone in his former position.

Set over one night in an unnamed provincial town in Blitz-era England, the piece tracks the progress of that evening's performance of King Lear. The eponymous lead is played by "Sir" (Colin Burnie), a cantankerous, yet lovable, old curmudgeon getting older disgracefully. He is ably assisted by brandy-nipping Norman (Alexander Rogers), who is fiercely protective of his master. Without Norman, "Sir" would have been written off as a has-been. For better or for worse, he pleads and cajoles the ageing actor on to the stage night after night. It becomes increasingly apparent, however, that there are to be terrible consequences for this increasingly co-dependent relationship.

The Dresser is essentially about duplicity and performance, on and off stage. Thematically, it's teasingly tangled - is the theatre a metaphor for the co-dependence and usury between the two leads, or vice versa? Harwood lulls the audience into a false sense of security with a warm, witty and nostalgic first half, before exposing the character's melancholy, loneliness and fruitless passions in the second half.

The Oxford Theatre Guild put on a fine production. Rogers's portrayal of Norman is full of nervous energy, while Burnie's "Sir" is equal parts vainglory and misery. The supporting cast are equally strong, with Helen Taylor's slightly underwritten role of stage manager Madge being particularly memorable. Director Sue Baxter uses the modest stage space well, especially during scenes that require action to take place outside the central location of the dressing room.

If there are faults, they are with the play; on occasion the tone veers too suddenly, and Harwood tends to overwrite some of his dialogue, with a little too much self-conscious quoting from Shakespeare. However, otherwise this is a fine production of an intelligent, entertaining play. It continues until tomorrow evening at the OFS Studio.

The Dresser: OFS Studio

By James Benefield

Oxford Times

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