Julian Clary 'mesmeric' as The Dresser in Oxford

The Dresser at the Oxford Playhouse from January 25-29. Review by Jon Lewis

Reps and Reputations

The woman from Witney sitting next to me in the Oxford Playhouse stalls had never been to the theatre before. The show her friend had wisely chosen for her was Terry Johnson’s Bath Theatre Royal and Cheltenham Everyman production of Ronald Harwood’s 1980 play The Dresser starring Julian Clary and Matthew Kelly, both excellent. Clary is mesmeric as Norman, the dresser of the title, looking after Kelly’s ‘Sir’, an ageing actor performing King Lear in rep. Sir is unwell, and this will be the final performance of his life.

Harwood drew on his experiences as the dresser for Donald Wolfit, an actor-manager who toured productions of Shakespeare throughout the country during WW2. Clary brings out the contradictions in Norman’s character with precision, a man whose lived experiences of managing a difficult and ageing actor through matinees and evening performances creates a current of self-loathing. A thwarted thespian spending his life in the shadows, unacknowledged by Sir, he escapes the drab and damp dressing rooms by drinking spirits. Norman delivers one-liners like ‘my memory is like a policeman, never there when I want it’ that Clary, with his background in pantomime comedy, delivers with knowing understatement. He bats off Sir’s anti-gay slurs with a raised eyebrow and a rapid glance at the audience that suggests a collusion and warmth across the fourth wall.

Kelly’s Sir is a garrulous but frail monster, suffering from memory loss and stage fright. He strings along his mistress ‘her Ladyship’ (Emma Amos), another misfit who feels ashamed playing Cordelia whilst undergoing the menopause. Sir’s efficient stage manager, Madge (Rebecca Charles) loves him without any return of her affection while the youngest member of the company, Irene (Natali Servat) becomes a voyeuristic plaything for Sir’s fantasies. Sir rails against the male members of the cast, the only actors available in wartime. Pip Donaghy’s Geoffrey, gamely playing the harlequinesque Fool, embodies the positivity of a man still enjoying the company's tours in his twilight years. And the woman next to me? She enjoyed the experience so much she said she’ll certainly return to the theatre for another play.