THEATRE 
REVIEWS
The Dresser
Richmond Theatre
London
ENGLAND
Struggle and Survival
The Dresser, written by Ronald Harwood, is a rare and welcome opportunity to see Nicholas Lyndhurst on stage and his connection with Julian Glover carries the entire play, which explores the relationship between “Sir” — an ageing, tyrannical actor and troupe leader with a monstrous ego and delusions of grandeur — and Norman, his faithful dresser, ego-masseur and shield from reality. Directed by Sir Peter Hall, struggle and survival are the themes of the story, with the World War II setting emphasising that everyone is simply struggling to survive as their world shifts and crumbles around them.
Julian Glover is compelling as the actor collapsing into chaos and confusion as he tries to act as King Lear and pull together a cast from a ramshackle assortment of men unfit to go to war, but it is Nicholas Lyndhurst as Norman who steals the show. Grey and repressed, he dedicates himself to Sir’s service and care, subsuming his own poetical nature to the practical requirements of keeping Sir on track; his waspish wit and detailed recollections of past performances and events (such as “the time Lancelot gave Gobbo the clap”) are reminiscent of Alan Bennett’s style and the basis of much of the comedy. Particularly memorable are the frantic attempts of the entire troupe to create the storm scene in Lear, only for Sir to berate them for making a noise no bigger than “farting flies”.
Nicholas Lyndhurst watches Julian Glover and Annabel Leventon in action
As Sir becomes ever more deluded and unpredictable, the physical claustrophobia of the dressing room and backstage area where all the action takes place mirrors the lack of psychological space. It is impossible to escape his dominance and only Norman can cajole him, pacify him and persuade him onto the stage. The power struggle between Sir and Norman moves back and forth; is Norman a servant or friend? Who needs whom the most? Is it Norman’s purpose in life to support the “moral grandeur” of Sir’s calling to “ascend the cosmos” in his art? How would they survive without each other? By Norman’s own account, he exists to make sure that unpleasant facts remain hidden, “all is lovely if you don’t face facts”.
In the second half of the play however, everyone is forced to face up to reality. As the air-raid sirens wail and bombs crunch nearby, relationships start to disintegrate and truths are revealed. Norman, previously labelled pathetic and lonely, shows a manipulative and sinister side to his character; Sir and Her Ladyship are only staying together because he wants a knighthood; Sir is only interested in the young star-struck Irene because she is lighter to carry on stage than his wife; the drab and mousy Madge reveals unexpected passion, and Norman’s façade finally crumbles completely when, on finding Sir’s long-awaited autobiography, he discovers how much he has meant to him all these years.
© DOS
“The Dresser” is in Richmond on the 29th of November until the 4th of December, 2004.
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