[As published in WPB Magazine.com]
“Life imitates art far more than art imitates life,” said Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde.
Such is the case in Ronald Harwood’s play The Dresser. Last Friday, on its opening night at Palm Beach Dramaworks, the audience was moved by this wickedly funny biopic. It is the story of the Oscar-winning playwright and screenwriter’s experiences as an actor and personal dresser for Sir Donald Wolfit, one of the great British stage actors and managers of his era. Wolfit was best known for his Shakespearean touring production company and, most significantly, for his magnificent portrayal of King Lear and Tamburlaine. From 1953 to 1958, Harwood served Wolfit during his early theatre career, and their relationship inspired The Dresser.
After its debut in 1980 at the Royal Exchange Theatre with Freddie Jones as Sir and Tom Courtenay as Norman, The Dresser was nominated for Best Play at the Laurence Olivier Awards. In 1983, the play was adapted into a film, directed by Peter Yates, and starred Albert Finney as Sir and Tom Courtenay as Norman.
Set in early 1940s Britain, the story begins when Norman, the dresser, beautifully played by William Hayes, producing artistic director and founding member of PBD, enters Sir’s (Colin McPhillamy) dressing room in a theater in the industrial town of Bradford, where Sir is to give his renowned portrayal of King Lear amidst the chaos of World War II—and the actor’s supposed bout with chronic exhaustion after performing this role 227 times.
Around him is his touring Shakespearean company of theater actors, including the troupe’s lead actress, Sir’s wife, referred to only as Her Ladyship (Denise Corner), who is playing Cordelia to her husband’s Lear. She and Madge (Elizabeth Dimon), the stage manager, do not think Sir is well enough to continue playing King Lear.
His actual sickness, Madge argues, is not exhaustion or a nervous breakdown that landed him in the hospital; it’s dementia, and that manifests in his declining abilities, including his confusion and remembering his lines, making it increasingly difficult for him to perform on stage.
But, as if on cue, Norman is playing a crucial role—his devoted dresser. He prepares him for performances, managing his condition to ensure the show continues despite the old actor’s mental lapses. Between takes, Norman relieves the stress of his job by frequently slipping a mickey, especially when he thinks no one is noticing.
Directed expertly by J. Barry Lewis, the play is not just about a veteran, aging British actor suffering from mental health and alcoholism, but more thrilling, about the relationship between him and his dresser during World War II—and an already suffocating and nerve-wracking time, which fuels Act I and II’s scenes with air raids and mentions of rations and bombed buildings. The special sound effects make the audience feel like they’re there.
Norman’s dedication to Sir, whose wandering mind and nearly incoherent ramblings are gradually becoming more frequent, is admirable. The two depend on each other. Sir leans on Norman, who gets him to concentrate on applying his makeup, getting dressed, and remembering his lines. On the other hand, Norman would have no career and no life without Sir.
In a dramatic scene, Norman struggles to get the deteriorating Sir through a difficult performance of King Lear as the company struggles to put on the show during the London Blitz. Norman argues with Sir, who refuses to go on stage because he feels confused and can’t remember his lines. Norman has a difficult task this evening—ensuring not only that Sir is ready by curtain time but that he holds it together over the course of the performance.
As the situation reaches a crisis, Norman moves a musician aside, taking his place to bang furiously on the drums backstage, in so doing, rivaling the force of the bombing in the capital. This heightened energy moves Sir into action. He picks up Her Ladyship in his arms and walks out on stage, delivering his lines effortlessly as his audience goes into a frenzy, applauding the play’s finale.
Invigorated by his performance and puffed-up ego, Sir returns to his dressing room. A young actress, Irene (Kelly Gibson), knocks on his door, and soon, the tension in the room escalates as Sir confuses her kindness for boldness. Norman is outside the door, hearing the sexual conversation. Before history repeats itself (that’s how Sir seduced the once young Her Ladyship), he enters the dressing room, quickly dismisses Irene, and confronts Sir.
The two men exchange heated words, and the witty lines provide the audience with some laughs. It is the dialogue between these two characters that allows the play to strike a good balance of comedy and drama, as well as explore darker themes, such as those found in its final Act II.
After the magnificent performance, Sir collapses from exhaustion, and Norman helps him lie down in his dressing room. Norman has been incredibly loyal to Sir. But when he discovers the older actor has dedicated his autobiography, a book he has been writing for some time, to everyone in the troupe, including the stage crew, but not a word about his dresser—personal assistant, gopher, and confidante—his heart turns a darker shade.
As the play comes to its finale, Norman’s disillusionment is palpable when he realizes where he stands in Sir’s life. But the mixed feelings between rage and sadness over Sir’s sudden death leave a clearer picture of just how much Norman loved this old man, but also wonders what he will do now that he is gone forever.
At this precise moment, when Hayes delivers Norman’s heartfelt last lines, he displays his most brilliant performance. Most people know him as Palm Beach Dramaworks’ producing artistic director and a visionary in regional theater. Still, perhaps more people are now coming to know him as a great actor. Onstage, the chemistry between Hayes and McPhillamy made for a delightful pairing—simply exquisite.
As expected, PMD’s costume design by Brian O’Keefe, scenic design by Anne Mundell, lighting design by Kirk Bookman, and sound design by Roger Arnold are outstanding.
The Dresser is a funny and moving story about friendship and loyalty. It is playing until January 5, 2025. To purchase tickets, visit www.palmbeachdramaworks.org or call the box office at (561) 514-4042, ext. 2. PBDW is located at 201 Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, Florida.